July's Challenge for Quoth the Raven "POEtry"

This month our challenge at Quoth the Raven is "POEtry" illustrate a poem by the Master Poe!  I used a freebie image given by the lovely Ike of Ike's Art an angel.  I colored her with Prisma pencils very lightly to give her a haunting image.  I then took a picture from the Mischief Circus kit More Brains and fussy cut her and attached to the picture and then typed a line from the poem "Lenore " and attached that after distressing the edges.  I printed it after combining all the elements for a smooth look.

Quoth the Raven is disbanding the design team to allow Guest Designers to be chosen for each month and will only have a mid-month post instead of weekly inspiration posts.  So I will not be seeing you each week just making makes for when needed.  It has been such an honor to be on the design team at Quoth the Raven and I have learned a deep love of all things Poe!  I will continue to create from his works and learn more about him and his works!  Thanks to Ike for introducing me to Mr. Poe...it was a match made in heaven!

Happy Crafting!

Welcome to the 3rd Challenge at Dream in Darkness!

 Wow! We are now having our 3rd challenge over at Dream in Darkness this month! We are being sponsored by the lovely and generous Ike's Art and you will love the team's inspiration and we also have our 1st Guest Creative Team Member contributing!  Lots to see and lots to get you inspired to create something and enter!

I used the image "Angels and Demons" I love the good and evil it represents!  I wanted to do a shadowbox book with the front reflecting the colors for good and evil!  So using my new DecoArt's media sampler kit, I created the front with crackle paste and fluid acrylics misted to run down .  I glued the image colored with Prisma pencils on the line where the colors meet and then glossed the image up with Dimensional Magic so it would pop off the background.  

 The insides contain fire elements from Mischief Circus' Light My Fire kit and the contents of the shadow box are a skelly, a cupid, some cash, and mini people from SilverCrowCreations.  The mirror is cut from a package insert that was super shiny! and a bead made by CT Kim.  The skull head is made from air dry clay from a mold I made and the portion of the gargoyle is polymer clay stamped with the stamp from the Smeared Ink rubber set called "Gargoyles".  Words on front and inside cover are by Tim Holtz's idea-ology Chitchat pad.

Don't delay hurry over to Dream in Darkness Challenge Blog and enter Challenge #3 which is as always anything goes just keep it dark!  And visit Ike's Art for some fabulous digital images!!

Happy Crafting!!

May I enter this in:

http://alteredeclectics.blogspot.co.uk/

 Anything Goes for July: Altered Book Date published was July 1st..blogger issues!

also
Forever Dark 2 "Anything Goes" July http://foreverdark2.blogspot.com/2015/07/challenge-2.html 
published for Dream in Darkness Challenge Creative Team Blogger date issues.

Challenge #41 at Ike's World Challenge "Fantasy"

I toyed with several ideas for this one!  I colored The Mermaid 1 and Fish 1 images from Ike's Art, started coloring Robot 1 image, and then I flipped through my printed images and saw Ohh La La!  And that's when I took a different look at fantasy! So for this challenge at Ike's World Challenge  I had my plan!  This image is so much like the old pin up girls from calendars and magazines that I immediately began coloring her with my Prisma pencils and loved how soft and come hither she turned out!  So she then became my image for my Pin Up Girl Calendar!  I took some pink paper from my stash and fussy cut her out, shrunk a portion of a calendar...the only one in the house! ugh!  and then layered it on and printed it out on glossy paper.  My calendar was completed and she is almost every man's fantasy I am pretty sure!

You will have a week left to play when you  see this so don't delay!  Ike will have a lovely freebie already posted on week one of the challenge so jump in and create something!  It is fantasy and we all have those, right?  It can be a princess, a mermaid, a robot, anything your heart desires to make!  We look forward to you inspiring us with your projects!

Happy Crafting!!

My Dead Scary Fairy!

I was thinking of what to do for this theme when a marvelous Random Act of Kindness package arrived in my mail!  Inside hiding from me, was a kit with 2 dead fairies to make with all materials included! So the only things I had to change were the wings (the kit contains 2 lovely butterflies for wings) so I stamped 2 tiny sugar skulls for wings and glued on her back.  And the material for dress was lovely white material so I took some black sheer shiny material for her skirt and I stamped the flower and tiny butterfly for her top with black ink.  I also added red seed beads on a string of thread for her tiny head/skull! 

I then caught the sneaky little thing flying over my gardenia's sprinkling them with her magic dust ( regular fairies do this to make flowers grow pretty!) but her powder kills flowers!!  And I understand she is a little/lot bummed out over the whole dead thing so to prevent someone swatting her I caught her in a jar and I give her fresh flowers daily so she can eat and drink and then kill them to keep her occupied!  And don't go "how cruel to cage her!" because I let her fly about the house as I can't grow house plants so no danger in that!  And when she tires she flies back into her jar and hangs out there.  Oh, I forgot to explain the tarantula....how did I forget that thing??  He is not a danger to her at all.  In fact, when I caught her she insisted he come inside also!  EEK!  The dead fairy did not frighten me at all but a tarantula??  Frightened!! But he makes her happy and they play around in their house and yes! he is allowed out to play with her in the house! I just make sure I am not in that room when they play......yep! definitely scared of him!

In this picture, she has already killed the gardenia and the black glitter looking stuff is the remains of her special dust!  I am careful to not let it get tracked into the outside garden.....dangerous stuff!
And here she is hanging out in her home!  So hard to keep her still for a photo!

 She is hovering over the flower she killed....sorry for reflection!

 Here she is outside of her house! Such a lovely skelly fairy!

 Showing her butterfly chest covering and flower scepter that dispenses the magic dust!

 A back view of her..she opposed this one very much!!

 Here she is in her home...notice those legs to the right! EEk!

And here he is in all his creepy glory!

 The top with a very strong warning for the uninformed in my home!

I hope you have enjoyed meeting her!  She was so much fun to make and check her out along with my team mates at our challenge blog Dream in Darkness, please?  You won't be disappointed I am so sure of that!  Now check you garden and see if you have a dead scary fairy in it! She says there are lots more of her kind out there but they do not like each other (because of the bad attitude thing about being ...well, dead!) so they are always found alone or maybe with a good friend like old Tary the Tarantula! So do be careful while looking, their friends are very protective of them!

Happy scary crafting and gardening!!

Dead Fairy Kit available if in stock at SilverCrow Creations!

Week 3 Inspiration for Quoth the Raven Challenge "Picture Inspiration"

I am still hanging onto my interpretation of the picture we were asked to be inspired by for the challenge at Quoth the Raven.  And that is from my watching the movie that the picture depicts.  So I used an image by Rick St. Dennis and fussy cut it out adding a small metal bracket cut out coated with Glossy Accents.  The red splats represent Poe's sorrow and his death and are made with a product called Soft Flock by Plaid given to me by my mom from her closed ceramic shop so this is probably around 15 years old!  I was amazed that it was still usable and I loved the look of it!  I attached the image to a paper from Dragons Lair Designs "Deco Kraze" collection kit.  I copied the portion of the poem by Poe titled "To M.L.S______" and layered on a piece of paper from my stash.  I am hoping Kay from our design team will tell me the real name of the poem as she is fluent in Poe-speak!  My book just has this as the title and this format for several of his poems.  Poe's tie is colored green with a Promaker and I gave him a single blood tear going down his face; this represents his pain at dying however the means, just as he was about to be married as far as we know.  

 This challenge this month as been by far the most touching one to me!  We all know Poe was a tormented soul for almost all of his life with brief periods of happiness.  Reading this

is very enlightening but I hate to admit it but seeing this movie that depicts a possible

answer to his mysterious death.  And we know factually that he had become engaged

and went on a short trip that he never returned from after being found in a 

coma and hospitalized and dying.  The movie just gave this a very moving

emotional tug at the heart strings to see how so much happiness could have

slipped through his fingers!  Ah, not only Poe has a tear but mine is not red nor blood

thanks goodness! 

Now you have almost 2 weeks to participate in this challenge and we would love to see

how you interpret this picture inspiration!  Now remember, you don't have to watch the movie

which I still haven't gotten the name of from my children, I am thinking it is "Raven" but 

not a whole lot!  You can look at the picture and take a color, any part of the image and 

make your project but remember also it must contain something pertaining to Poe as

it is the dear man's challenge!

Happy Crafting! 
Also entering Forever Dark 2 Challenge Anything Goes

Ike's World Challenge #40 Theme "Earth, Wind, Fire, Water"

I had fun with this one too! It is week 2 of this challenge at Ike's World Challenge!  I used the image "Fire" and colored with Prismacolor pencils and Chameleon makers and scanned into Photoshop on a background from Holliewood Sudios kit "All Hallows Eve" at Mischief Circus.  I copied 2 5 x7 photos (also added text "FIRE" in Photoshop) and fussy cut the hand holding fire out and put over the original copy with a foam dot for dimension, you can see a shadow of his hand in photo! 

Don't forget your freebie image from week one of this challenge she is beautiful you don't want to miss her! And this begins week two so get busy on your project and find the little blue linky button and link up your project!  

We have shown you are take on this theme, now show us yours!

Happy Crafting!

The Challenge at Delicious Doodles is Back!

How lucky we are to have Teri Sherman and Artidoodles so we can get fab images such as this one I used on my domino stack!  I used only part of the image as the complete image will be making an appearance in a couple of weeks in a big way!  And now the Delicious Doodles Challenge is back! Yeah!  And for this month we have it easy the theme is "Anything Goes"!

I used, as I said, a portion of this image called "Let Me Out" and colored with Prismacolor pencils and use a red Promarker for that eye!  Attached some dominoes together, inked them with black, and cut the image into tiles.  Then the fun began trying to keep them in order as I kept knocking the paper with them on it around!  I got one piece out of place but you can find it I am not telling! :)  Then Glossy Accents to bring out her lovely eye and skin tone and some words from a pack by Tim Holtz and it was done!

 

There are two opportunities to play...one at the challenge blog and one at the Delicious Doodles Facebook page so go Like it and start working on those Delicious Doodles images you have!  And 

we have a Delicious Doodles Facebook Challenge for Dark only here!

What's that, you don't have any? Oh, then the fun really begins go to Artidoodles and have 

a blast finding an image to work with...shopping and creating! Two of

my favorite things!!

Happy Crafting

Entering in June's Delicious Doodles Challenge Anything Goes 

and DominoArt's June Challenge #14 Anything Goes 

and Forever Dark Challenge Anything Goes

Part Two of the Progressive Challenge at Rick's Sparkle and Glitter Challenge Blog

To play in the Progressive Challenge at Sparkle and Glitter Challenge Blog,  you purchase of use a RSD image from one of his stores either Etsy or Zibbet, and play the first round with it.  Then you email the person indicated in the rules for your FREE image to play the next one with!  I played in May with an image I owned and then was very happy to receive "Mr. Tea" to play with in June!

And here is the little fellow who has obviously got a tea drinking obsession along with his little friend!

 

You can still play this month just hop to the shop and purchase this lovely

image found here comes with or without sentiment~

Happy Crafting! 

Warning! Please Read Before Going to Ike's World Challenge's Blog Hop Post!

Somehow my blog is linking up to weird things!  In the following Ike's World Hop it has "images" as a link do not go to it! I have checked the other links and they are alright.  Ike's World Challenge is also showing a link like this linked to the word "Freebie" in her banner.  I do not know if it is a blogger issue or my computer just wanted you to be aware!

New Release Hop For Ike's Art

I am so lucky! Not only to make the team at Ike's World Challenges this week but to be able to help introduce you to her new releases from the "Fallen Angels" and "Succubus" series!  Wow! I love the images and choosing some to work with was very hard!  For my first I used "Fallen Angel 3" and "The Collector" with a sentiment by Tiddly Inks.

Next,  I colored "Succubus 5" as well as the above images with Prismacolor pencils and then used distress inks and water to make a background for her also adding a sentiment from Tiddly Inks.



Join us and hop to each blog as see these awesome new releases!


Ike's World Challenge

IKE
SUSAN S
LYNNE W
NANETTE
BLACK DRAGON


http://ikesworldchallengeblog.blogspot.com/
http://suzy-ikesworld.blogspot.com/
http://lilyandthelotus.blogspot.com/
http://lynnescardsforalloccasions.blogspot.co.uk/
http://deepintothedarknesspeering.blogspot.com/
http://lynsblogger.blogspot.com/



Finnabair Style Medusa's Head by Ike's Art

As you may have guessed I am in love with the wonderful Finnabair style art created by Ania Dabrowska!  And I have taken some twists with it not typically associated with the style but was well received by the Finnabair Open Studio Facebook page.  This twist came after receiving a fabulous image called "Medusa's Head" from Ike's Art.  I started coloring her with my Prismacolor pencils and made her makeup heavy and I became enchanted with her! But isn't that her story?  So onto a mixed media canvas I had started with some crackled texture paste, some colored texture paste, tape, chipboard pieces, and cut outs layered with many layers of acrylic paint and inks!  The I added some paper clay pieces of steampunk gears, clock, keys, flies, flourishes, some metal coins, buttons, a paper rose I had made ages ago and was tattered, some brass chain links for earrings and covered with white acrylic paint.  When dried I sponged on some silver ink from an ink pad and in the end I am very much pleased with it!

I intentionally left a little of the "Y" hanging off the canvas which

was a piece of chipboard.

Fitting bits and bobs to go with snakes was much more difficult

than I had imagined!!

Give this a go if you are interested!  The bits and bobs can be found in your catch all drawers in cabinets, desks supplies, almost anything can be turned into something pretty! Save those pop can tabs! They make excellent anchors to layer other things on top of!  Reduce your waste by turning it into something you can love!!

Happy Crafting!

Entering Forever Dark  2 June Challenge Anything Goes

My June Jewelry Make for Dragons Lair Designs Inspiration Blog

I saw some fabulous elements in the Deco Daze Collection that screamed jewelry to me! So I took the portions of the elements I wanted to use and cut out and glued to a allergy med box.  Then I cut out and pressed into embossing ink, coated with UTEE, twice!, and used my heat gun to give them strength and a lovely finish!  

  The whole set~

 

 

Earrings with pearl bead dangle~

 

 

My flower pin just love it~

 

Now of course before wearing I will back with

same paper from the collection but I wanted you to see you

probably have the stuff to make these lovelies already.

If you do not have a heat gun, then use decoupage glossy

and add several coats to front and back...basically

the same look!

 

 

 

Happy Crafting and LIKE us on Facebook!

 

 

Dragons Lair Designs Links:

• Store
• Inspiration Blog
• Challenge Blog
• Facebook Fan Group
• Facebook Page
• Etsy Store
• Janette Padley's Creations on craftsUprint - http://www.craftsuprint.com/janette-padley/ 

My First Design Team Make for Ike's World Challenge!!!!

My first ever win was at Ike's World Challenge  with a breast cancer awareness make done when I was able to create again after my mom's brush with that ugly disease.  I was so over the moon!  Never did I think I could say I am on that Design Team!  So honored and happy and thanks to Ike and her wonderful team for accepting a newbie like me! 

Our challenge this fortnight is #39 "Inspire Us With Lyrics".  I was excited about this one before I knew I was on the team so imagine my joy that my first make would be using a theme I love, music!!  The songs were dancing in my head (a lot of room for that type of thing in MY head!) and first thought was a Jimmy Buffett song, so sorry Jimmy, you know I love you! and then I remembered a song that I identified with so much when it came out.  It is by Coldplay...yes, old women like cool music, too! lol! and I am hoping this is right, called "Viva la Vida".  My daughter always corrects me when I give it my version of the moment name so alas I am going for it!  The song is awesome and the repeating stanza is "I used to rule the world.." and I have felt that way many times in my life. Not that I ruled anything, no way! but that I had all I needed at times and then lost the most needed of things, people, and love.  Enough sappy talk...here is my version of whom might have ruled the world at one time!

Used Ike's image "Skelly Eagle" http://www.ikesart.com/digital-art-stamps#!__digi-animals/productsstackergalleryv21=7

Used Prismacolor pencils to outline and color beak and tongue

and some paper clay lovelies, a crown and a laurel wreath

which was glued onto some fab gold embossed seals 

given to me by Mom estimated at over 15 years old!!

And of course the crown went on his now truly bald head!

Printed out the song words from Photo Shop inked edges and glued

on three homemade enamel dots will give recipe on here soon!

And another seal at the top with a paper clay fleur de lis!

And that was my take  on this magnificent bird ruling the world!

Please come join us you have time so don't delay!

Also visit the amazing Ike's Art

and be prepared to be amazed!!

Happy Crafting and sing a song while you do!

Also entering in Lost Coast Designs "Skelly Fest" ending June 18th!

Dragons Lair Designs Inspiration Piece for June

The lovely "Deco Daze" collection kit contains some really awesome deco art style elements to it.  I was instantly drawn to it by the lovely purples and blues it contains!  For this piece I used a background paper and added part of a frame element from the kit, a wonderful thing about these kits you can modify them to use as you like!  The face I feel in love with so sleek and such clean lines!  I copied two and fussy cut the inside circle part of the face and bird and popped on with foam dots for some dimension.  A little Diamond Accents on lips and earrings to accessorize her nicely.  I cut 2 of the lace pieces and had to only use a small piece of the second one to go along the top. But no worries as that left over piece will find it's way onto another make this month so keep your eyes open!  The first one to comment on it when they see it on my personal blog will get the make sent to them!! So be on the look out!  A lovely string of diamonds is included in this kit and I fussy cut them and added a coat of Diamond Accents to them and let dry before attaching to the top portion of the page.  I added the sentiment, also included in kit along with a whole page of others, on foam dots.  I wanted something else and the lovely flowers that accompany this kit seemed to fit the spot. So I had copied two of them and cut the first cutting almost to the center of the flower then bending and shaping the bottom layer. The I cut the second one's center out and did the same way attaching to the top of the first one with a dab of Diamond Accents. The whole lovely flower was then put on with a foam dot. 

 

 

Dragons Lair Designs Links:

• Store
• Inspiration Blog
• Challenge Blog
• Facebook Fan Group
• Facebook Page
• Etsy Store
• Janette Padley's Creations on craftsUprint - http://www.craftsuprint.com/janette-padley/

Picture Inspiration Challenge at Quoth the Raven, Nevermore

I was so thrilled to see our picture for June's "Picture Inspired" theme at Quoth the Raven, Nevermore Challenge!  When I first began this journey of falling in love with Poe, yes love!, my son bought me a compilation of all his works with short biography and said he had a movie for me to watch about Poe.  It is the movie that this picture depicts!  I loved it and was in tears when Poe met his end.  The movie explored Poe's mysterious death in a fictional way offering a possible reason for his never explained death.  So as not to give to much of a spoiler alert for those that would like to watch it and I suggest you do as it is enthralling! I will just explain parts of my literal inspiration from the pic.

Poe is sitting on a park bench (made from popcicle sticks painted black and misted with a silver spray paint) under a bare winter tree with the last remaining drop of poison in a bottle on his lap and black (although they photographed brown!) raven feathers falling gently from the sky. The ground is covered in the raven's feathers and some dried gardenia flowers from my yard which are a requirement for a Southern garden to reflect his Southern background.  And some stretched gauze pads draped here and there to indicate death.

 Poe, himself, is made from a circle of flesh felt with a tiny bit of stuffing and then glued to yet another popcicle stick.  Then is body was built from his knotted tie which I made of lace, and his coat and cloak, and then two more, yep you guessed it! popcicle sticks covered with fabric and glued and then cut apart for his legs which after gluing him to the bench were tucked under his cloak. His hair is wool roving and the back of his head even has his slight balding appearance. Lastly, I added a scarf for his neck not wanting the poor dear to be cold!  He is faceless as to put a face on him would have taken the mystery, the complete misery he faced in this decision, the blankness of his own face when found away from this. So I have droned on long enough, here he is from beginning to end...I mean finish!

 

Now it is you turn to go to Quoth the Raven, Nevermore Challenge Blog

and enter challenge #45 "Picture Inspiration"!  You can take anything

from the pic that inspires you but it must contain a strong

reference to Poe as this blog is dedicated to this

literary genius!  You have until the end of June to play so no

excuses about time!  We look forward to seeing your interpretation on

this picture!

 

Happy Crafting!

 



June Challenge at Dragons Lair Designs Challenge Blog

This month at Dragons Lair Designs Challenge blog the theme is "Let's Dance"!  I used a precious couple from the Dragons Lair Designs Store!  Colored with Chameleon markers, fussy cut, and glued to rose paper and layered onto vellum with lace and pearl trim with sentiment using alphabet from the Pansy Collection and embellished with some enamel dots I made and a plastic heart.  Love this little couple!

 

Please join in the fun this month!!

 

 

Skull Appreciation Day at Smeared and Smudged!!





It is here! Skull Appreciation Day! Like Christmas for most folks!! lol!  This is the tale of Abigal Skellingtonworth, like my friend, Anne's Vlad, she is of royal birth from Spain.  Unlike Vlad, her only vice was loving the wrong man!  So she left this earth far too  soon! I will not divulge all of the details confidence and all you know, but she is now a skelly angel wearing her beloved head dress and shawl on her body,.....errr...bones I mean!

Paper doll made using a Skull Lady from Lost Coast Designs

Day of the Dead Headdress Skull Lady

listed before as a VivaLasVegas stamp..oops!







Wings from Monster Drink can part of awesome skull on tip of wing

hard to see due to embossing and shine! ugh!

A whole skelly on tip of this one!

Glossy Accents on her "face" and center of flower popped

out on foam dot.  Her "body" is made of DP with modification

for her "head" to go on!

SKULL APPRECIATION DAY
Blog Hop
Black Dragon
Katie
Lisa
Tit Belsoeur
Anna
Sue
Nan
Dream In Darkness
Harp
Maureen
Ike
Monique
Fiona
Teresa
Leigh S-B
DominoART
Lost Coast Portal to Creativity
Julia
Susan R

Now go leave lots of love for these lovelies listed on blog hop!  You will be inspired
I assure you!  Thank you Smeared and Smudged Facebook Group and
those fab girls, Tori and Terra! Muwah! Lots of love and thanks!

And more fab news! Lost Coast Designs is hosting a Skelly Fest until June 18th!
So Abigal is going to visit Leigh at Lost Coast Designs!

Check it out right under here!                                           http://lostcoastportaltocreativity.blogspot.com/                                                   

Happy Crafting!
Entered at Lost Coast Designs Portal to Creativity "New Release" Challenge

Smeard and Smudged Facebook May Challenge: Horror Movie...EEK!

This month the gals at Smeared and Smudged hosted a challenge to watch a horror movie and create from it.  One problem, I don't or can't watch horror movies! lol! But was given a gracious out and allowed to create from banner! lol  So here he/she is...made of bulap, a bit of stuffing, some wicked cool fingers from Artidoodles by Teri Sherman found here called "Digits", some string, a bit of black thread to make line down face and eyes and he/she is ready to do whatever he/she did in the movie! NOO! Don't tell me about it I am going to bed and checking for monsters now!!

 

Don't forget to LIKE their page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/smearedandsmudged/

and they are hosting Skull Appreciation Day on June 4th so visit and see all the fab  makes!

 

Happy Crafting!

 

New Challenges you must see and enter!!

 

Dream in Darkness Challenge 2

Dragons Lair Designs Soon

DominoArt

Quoth the Raven Soon

Rick St. Dennis Light Blog

Rick's Darker Blog

Airless Chambers

Ike's World Challenge Theme involves a Song

Brand New!

Forever Dark Challenge

I know I have missed some awesome challenges but please forgive me and everybody check the above ones out and follow from them to other linkys to some fab challenges!

 

Happy Crafting!