Challenge - Grimm's Grimmest

It's time for another Haunted Design House challenge - this week is Grimm's Grimmest, in which we get our inspiration from one of the 200+ tales from the Brothers Grimm.

The one that immediately popped into my mind, was The Goose Girl - where the Princess, who has a talking horse 'Falada', is forced to trade places with the maid and becomes a goose girl.  To keep Falada from telling anyone, the maid has her killed.  The Princess pays the butcher to mount her head on the bridge so that she may see her when she tends to the geese. 

So, here is Falada's head, hanging on the bridge, with the phrase she speaks to the Princess every morning. 

I spent some time fussy cutting an internet image and layered different parts of it three times.  I colored the eyes, nose and neck red for blood and mounted her on a shield die-cut.  I added the three rhinestones at the bottom of the sentiment to signify the three drops of blood that the Queen gave to the Princess when she left.  (That seemed to be a huge thing for the Grimm's - they were a tad strange...)

Here's a close up of Falada's head. 

On a side note, I have to give thanks to hubby for his willingness to decapitate a toy horse (which he did, but I couldn't get it to work) for my art.  SWAK!

Enjoy! Or, you know, whatever it is you do with a severed horse head.

Challenges Challenges Everywhere!

I'm going to go crazy today and enter multiple challenges.  What is up with that??

It just so happens that I was tooling around with this adorable Hero Arts bunny stamp (secret time: I'm  strangely incapable of not buying bunny (and lamb) stamps and then I never use them because, come on! Bunnies and lambs??)  Anyway, I do get them out and play and this card happened without my full consent.  

The bunnies are stamped with Versafine ink on pale lavender paper that I found in my scrap bin along with the great green polka-dot print.  "Spring" is from a clear stamp set that is no longer in the package, sorry manufacturer!

Surprisingly, it matches a few different challenges:
CAS-ual Friday - Pastels and Black (cfc45)
Dutch Dare Card Challenges - Cute & Cuddly (#157)
Clear It Out Challenge Blog - Easter Theme with Pastel Paper Stash

This is the first time I've entered challenges on any of these blogs - hopefully it won't be the last!

Thanks for looking!

Gingersnap Creations Challenge - Things That Leap

It's time for me to jump back into the Gingersnap Creations challenges; I've been away too long!

This time, I'm going for the Once in a Blue Moon challenge - Things that Leap.

I can't tell you how much I adore this set from Komodo.  It comes with the water rings, the lilypad and the tiny little frog.  I wanted a little more depth than normal, so while the lilypads are colored with Memento and stamped on white paper, I stamped the frog on acetate with StazOn (inked it green and then rolled the feet/head in black) and mounted it with foam tape - it's basically a shaker card without anything inside the shaker pocket.  

I love the color scheme as well - blue and green is becoming one of my favorite combos.  I used a great  die from Papertrey to make the border accent.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fun with ATCs challenge - Book Pages

I decided to change gears today and go with an ATC and use my previously uninked Stampotique image - "Head" (and "Heads", oddly enough).

I actually started with a black ATC, which I stippled and smudged with several different inks and then promptly covered it with my background image because I don't plan well.   I layered the heads, which are stamped with Versafine (my favorite ink in the world) on a page from an old text book of some sort.  I gave my little guy a rough coloring with a marker and some chalk on his cheeks.  The frame was made from pre-stamped scraps that I found in the trash.  (Yes, yes, I dig through the trash for fabulous things that I might have thrown away before I knew how fabulous they were!) 

Ta-dah! Creepy little ATC, just perfect for the Fun with ATCs blog challenge - Buchseiten (or book pages). 

As always, thanks for looking!

Challenge - Can I Quote You On That?

It's time for another challenge over at Haunted Design House - this time it's Can I quote you on that?  

Of course, I ran through my favorite movies and kept getting stuck on "The Shining".  

I've incorporated two different quotes - although, does it count if a character never says it?  If not, then it's a good thing that Danny screams "redrum" so many times!

I created the "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" phrase with a magnetic letter stamp set that I don't think has ever seen the light of day in my craft room.  "Redrum" was done in crayon and it was all mounted on red cardstock with a little bling and a layered border punch. 

I showed it to a friend and she wanted to know if it was a birthday card... um.  For someone I really don't like, maybe? 

Anyway, enjoy and thanks for looking!

Halloween Banner Card

This is by far the fussiest Halloween card from my Pennywise Arts design month.  

I die cut each jewelry tag and added a rub-on letter, then I folded the top of each tag over my twine 'rope' and glued the tab to the back.  To keep them from all sliding together, I ended up putting each on a pop dot.  I found (okay, I raided the humongous stash of bat things that I have) a few little bat buttons for the knots on either end of my rope. 

The background was a little to plain for me, so I ran the patterned paper through a polka dot embossing folder.  I still wasn't happy, so I decided to stamp a swirl with Versamark and use the O'So Sticky Powder to cover it with Ultrafine Microbeads.

The beads looks like they're colored, but they're clear! They just add a little bit of sparkle.  The word "Happy" is from a Papertrey Ink die - I also used O'So Sticky Powder to adhere it to the card. 

On a side note, remember my Panic! at the Disco cards?  Well, I gave one to a friend who is also in their fan club and we met them at one of their concerts.  She  had the band members sign hers!  I freaked out a tiny little bit (A LOT!) and just had them sign their cd.  EEEEEEE!!!!!

Thanks for looking!

Halloween Skulls

It's time for another Pennywise Arts sponsored card.  Today, I'm all about the skulls and not about bats.

I clear embossed the Boo on crumpled patterned paper and dp'd some red ink over it.  I love the effect! 

The skulls are grungeboard that I covered with white acrylic paint.  After they dried (okay, okay - after they were dryish), I covered them in Versamark and did two layers of clear embossing powder - UTEE would be perfect here, I just can't remember where I put mine - and while the ep was still hot and sticky, dipped them in Ultra Fine Clear Beads.  I added an additional three layers of ep and beads, heating between each layer and ending with a final layer of ep.   Ta-dah!

After they cooled, I cracked them a bit - I tried to rub them with a dye ink pad but it wouldn't stick - duh!  Black Stazon would have been a better choice, but it's apparently run off with my UTEE  and they're living in sin.  :)  

I think I'm going to try this little trick with some colored microbeads and maybe some other shapes - I want to see this technique on a heart or flower shape.   I would be tickled pink if anyone decided to try it and left a link for me! 

Only 46 more days til Halloween!!!

Schulentute Challenge

It's Halloween over at Bella Creations'  Celebrer la Fete group.  One of the challenges this month was to create a BOOtuten (a schulentute with a Halloween twist), so of course, I jumped right in.

Here's my first attempt.  Color me surprised with the bat theme!




I decided to branch out and choose non-traditional Halloween colors for my next BOOtuten. I have a hate/hate relationship with pink, so I found some pale pink scrapbook paper that I will never use.  I stamped it with a chandelier from a Martha Stewart set and created my own 'new' background paper.  I added some ribbon and created a exhibition ribbon (also at Celebrer la Fete) inspired embellishment. 

I did, of course, still manage to get a bat in.  :) 

Thanks for looking!

Gingersnap Creations Art Exchange - Magnets

Gingersnap Creations is having another art exchange - Encouraging Words Refrigerator Magnets.  I decided to try for a heart theme and set about making my magnets. 

I did a shaker magnet.

I tried a new technique (the 'puddle' of white embossing power with the sentiment 'embossed' in it).

I used my new Papertrey Ink set for the first time.  I love this house!

And then I stalled.  I had the quote: "A friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart."  The sentiment was too large, I didn't like the color on the vellum, I couldn't think of anything else to do, blah blah.  I dithered and I dallied and I finally came up with a magnet that was... done.  I didn't love it, I didn't hate it.  I hung them all on the fridge to test the magnet adhesive overnight.  

This afternoon, I started taking pictures.  I did the first three and went I went for the fourth...it wasn't there.  The magnet was still on the fridge but the actual piece was missing.  I asked hubby if he'd seen it - nope.  I searched high and low - it's not under the fridge (yes, I made hubby move it), it didn't fall down the side, it's not on the counter. It's gone.  There are two suspects who have a long criminal history when it comes to crafting mishaps but this is impressive, even for them.

They're not talking, of course.  I suspect the mystery may never be solved.  So, I'm off to make another magnet!  I think I'll have to give the heart theme a pass this time and skip the fridge test. 

Wish me luck!!

Halloween Blues

I love bats! If every card I made could have bats on it, I would be a happy girl.  Seriously, this is how much I love bats:

That's me, on vacation in Australia, volunteering at a bat hospital!  That's Mystique, she's reaching for a bit of banana.  So beautiful!

So, in honor of bats, here's another Halloween card, graciously sponsored by Pennywise Arts!

The adorable sentiment is from Stampotique and the bat is an embroidery sticker that I've had in my stash.  The stars are plain chipboard which I covered in Versamark and dipped into O'So Sticky Powder from Pennywise.  You heat it up just like embossing powder and it gets - wait for it - sticky!  :)  I then covered the stars with ultra fine glitter and set the powder with another blast from my heat gun then added them to my card base and voila - a happy little Halloween card!

As always, thanks so much for looking!

Halloween at Pennywise Arts!

September is my design team month over at Pennywise Arts Blog.  Definitely check it out; they're currently giving away 10 sheets of double-sided O'So Sticky Tape and only two people have entered - great odds if you ask me!  I'm not eligible to play, so go, get your friends to sign up!

On to my first Halloween card of the season! (Mad props to my crazy staging skills! LOL!)

I took some double-sided paper and made the base card, then I flipped the paper over and made a paper 'ribbon' from the print on the back side (yay! bats!); I couldn't get the tail right, so I ended up using the corner of a medallion shaped die.

Papertrey Ink stamps and die helped make the tickets out of more patterned paper and I added a some hand-dyed seam binding.  To finish it all off, I took a small square of O'So Sticky tape, removed the rubber liner and adhered it to some black paper, which I then punched with a bat. 

I removed the paper liner and dipped it into Clear Mini Beads.  You could use the Black Opaque beads too, if you wanted a little less sparkle but I like a little bit of bling.  Stick it on with some foam tape and you're done!

Thanks for looking and stay tuned for more Halloween goodies!!

Tag Tuesday: Postage Stamps

The Blog Challenge Garden is featuring postage stamps this week for Tag Tuesday.  I looked through my stamp collection (I have a huge box that I purchased at a garage sale 5+ years ago) and found one that I liked.  It's crazy simple but I loved the flower design.   I have no idea what country it's from, but it's worth 2 of something. LOL!

I tried to keep my tag as simple at the stamp and just carried the images over.  I stamped the background squares, the year, and added the rest in punches.  I didn't have a fish so I added the little fish charm at the top.  The seam binding is all hand-dyed from ink refills.  I like how it turned out.

As always, thanks so much for looking!

Random Redhead Challenge - Planes and Trains

Slipping in under the wire again at Gingersnap Creations for their Planes and Trains Challenge with a hint of steampunkishness. 

The vellum is printed with clocks and I stamped the plane on the front with StazOn but the other images are on cardstock underneath the vellum. 

This is one of my favorite sentiments, I use it for 'missing you' and 'thank for your help' cards.  I love how hazy it is under the vellum. 

I didn't like how boxy the finished card was, so I ran the top panel through a edging die to add the cool border on the left. 

As always, thank you for looking!

Challenge: Varying Visages of Vincent

So, you may know that I'm a huge horror buff - I love scary movies and scary stories and bats and blood and all the fabulous things that make other people shudder and run.  And I love Vincent Price.  First, his movies are incredible - he had such a incredible presence - and he always managed to make most of his characters, no matter how murderous, somewhat tragic and you (I) ached for them.

This week, Haunted Design House is doing a tribute to the Master of Horror - they have a fantastic blog candy offer:

For a chance to win, pop on over to their blog and check it out.

The rules for entering blog candy drawing:1. Readers shall hop to each of the Macabre Minions blogs to see their take on the challenge...
readers must comment on each of the (6) posts.
2. Spread the word about the candy corn via your blog, Twitter, whatevah. Then just comment on this HDH post with a link to the announcement about it.
3. If you play along with the HDH Macabre Monday 100th challenge, you get TWO extra chances to win... just linky up and then add two more comments.

 

I did a little mini shrine which I hand cut from some paper (I believe it's a retelling of Sleepy Hollow) with some halloween scraps such as a few StazOn colored bat pins, a poison brad and a shrink plastic raven (which is an idea that I absolutely stole from Blackdragon and her fantastic piece - check out her jewelry art as well - so, so beautiful!) and a wicked stamp.

Here's a little better angle of the Wicked sentiment.  

So run, don't walk, to Varying Visages of Vincent and win a bit of macbre candy.  

Thanks, as always, for looking!  

Gingersnaps Challenge - On the Road

I'm just a posting fool this weekend!  I have been crafting my little heart out and I was so pleased to find out that Gingersnap Creations was doing some Steampunk themed challenges.   I've been plotting on the best way to raid my husband's toolbox.....

Below is my entry for their On the Road Challenge.  I don't have any car stamps, but I found this cool picture in my ephemera stash.  No need for purloined toolbox items yet, but soon.  :)

I stamped the letters in Memento and highlighted the Gear embossed background with the same using a dauber. 

Enjoy!

Two New Challenge Blogs

Stretching my wings a bit to participate in challenges at two new blogs.  Over at Sentimental Sundays is to Focus on the Sentiment.  And, it just so happens, that Little Red Wagon is looking for heat embossing. 

This is the first time I've ever used this stamp from Wordsworth, I think I've always worried that it was too large but it's perfect with this background.  I stamped it in Versamark and clear embossed it before I did some very casual water coloring over the top.  I really like the effect.   Next time, I might trim and mount it, but I worry about going overboard.  The word 'enough' and I do not have a great working relationship. 

I'll definitely have to try this watercolor effect again.  I love how soft it looks.

Thanks for visiting!



Out! Out, Damn Spot! Challenge

Well, it's been a while! My husband unexpectedly needed hospital care (he's out and recovering) and my crafting had to be put aside.  But now I'm back and ready to stamp!

I decided to jump back in with the fabulous gals over at Haunted Design House because I love their latest challenge: "Out! Out, damn spot!" - something that is covered in splatter, drips or drops.   Of course, it doesn't have to be blood, but what would be the fun in that?

I actually made this for a friend, who is enchanted with the BBC series Sherlock, which is modern day reworking of Sherlock Holmes.  Instead of being a (mostly) proper Victorian gentlemen, he's a high-functioning sociopath.  Aaahh, there's nothing like a little murder to get the blood flowing. Or, in this case, splattering.

My blood is acrylic paint; red ink didn't keep it's beautiful bright color.  I was rather disappointed to find out that I don't have an axe stamp, because I thought the piece would have been perfect with one; I'm not sure what that says about me. LOL!

Enjoy and thank you, as always, for looking!

Birthdays and Frogs

The sun in shining - what is up with that? 

So, I am going for another two  new challenge blogs today.  Crazy me!  I actually love this color combo - the orange isn't something that I normally reach for when I'm doing crafting, but I thought this all went together perfectly. 

I'm entering this into the Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge - Flowers over at  Marks Finest Paper,  as well as the DIY Embellishment challenge at Tuesday Throwdown because I made that fabulous little flower from 4 loose flower petals from Oriental Trading Company.   This will be my first time entering a challenge on both of those blogs.  

I added beads to some Pennywise Arts micro beads and dropped a little frog charm into a card shaker (that I also got from Pennywise) and sealed it up with a stamped background.   I don't know where the lily pad stamp came from - it's foam mounted white rubber and comes with an adorable little frog but it was busy when I added him.  The leaves and the sentiment are Papertrey Ink.

Enjoy! And thanks for looking.

Monochromatic

Blogger is still being a total pain and won't allow me to comment on 75% of the posts that I see.  I hope they get this resolved soon. 

Anyway, I decided to be brave and branch out with a few more challenges.   Over at Less is More the challenge is doing a CAS card that is monochromatic. 

I think it turned out nicely - I originally stamped the sentiment crooked, so I 'fixed' it by stamping the sentiment on the same color paper, punching it out and layering it over the original goof.  I think it gives it a little bit of omph without going overboard.

I wish my photography was as satisfying as the card.  It seems a little washed out.  I have got to figure out what I'm doing.

I also did a card for last week's challenge for the same blog - Pick A Square - but didn't get it uploaded in time.  

Apparently I like the lower right hand of cards.  LOL!  This was my first card using this particular Papertrey Ink stamps and I enjoyed working with them.  Although, they do seem to stamp better with chalk inks - I need to expand my color selection, I only have about a dozen colors.  Time to warm up the credit cards!

As always, thanks so much for looking.

Ride 'Em Cowboy!

I wasn't even born when Clint Eastwood starred in For a Few Dollars More - I saw it when I was an impressionable pre-teen and I fell in love with the Man with no name.  So, when Gingersnap Creations posted their Chestnut Theme - Cowboys and Cowgirls, I knew I had to include my first movie star crush. 

Say hi to the sexiest cowboy ever.  Swoon.

I distressed a black and white photo that I grabbed off the web and put it behind a rolled opening.  I colored a few chipboard stars and highlighted them, as well as the background paper, with a black gel pen.  I hand folded the rosette and added the twine.  I found a sheriff's badge in my charm drawer and I was done.

As always, thanks so much for visiting!