Double Duty Project today

This is a twofer day!  This is my project for both The 12 Days of Christmas - Smeared & Smudged's day 9 and Simply Betty Challenge's Day 11.  It is the cover for an photo album for my dd Becca who is indeed having a Skelly Tree this year.  I used black chipboard cover with green and red cardstock, along with a scalloped metal book edge from 7 Gypsies.  The lovely girl is Lola, one of Simply Betty Stamps' Christmas Emos which I colored with prismacolor pencils & markers.  The skelly tree is one of the new Smeared & Smudged plates featuring the artwork of Misty Benson "Skelly Christmas", colored with various markers and embellished with skull & crossbones nail stickers, as well as some fun skulls I drew.  The "plaque" stamp with the skull is from 7 Gypsies.  I used a couple of candy canes & glittered tree buttons as well.  I hope you like it!

Don't forget to visit the Jolly Bloggers on the list to the right.  My apologies to those who've visited to find nothing new.  Happy Holidays & Stamp on!

***Edited to Add***  Yes, you're correct Alex, it is an alcohol ink background (I'm not too swift at describing my process LOL) I started with a yellow-ish glossy paper and used Cranberry, Pesto and Eggplant Alcohol Inks.  I could spend hours just playing with them.  I wanted the background to look somewhat Nightmarish.  

12 Days of Christmas S&S Style - Day 6

Welcome to Day 5 of Smeared & Smudged 12 Days of Christmas!  Obviously, I did not succeed at posting days 3, 4 and 5 on time, but will put them up today.  I'm just waiting for paint/varnish to dry and dd#2 to wake up so she can take pics with her camera.  Scanning just won't do with items that will scratch glass such as metal doo-dads.

Anywho, this is a book I've make for my dd#2 Becca for Yule/Christmas.  Totally a handmade gift season this year.  I used one of the awesome new tarot images from Misty Benson "The Fool" by S&S.  Stamped it in India Ink Black, colored with a combination of Pitt pens, watercolor pencils, chalks, prismacolor pencils, and my trusty Dove Blender.  The book itself was a kit from Club Scrap that I've been holding onto (hoarding) stamped with Distress Ink in Peeled Paint.  After making the book I added a piece of really old mulberry paper in tan, a couple of tags from 7 Gypsies as well as the Fool.  The stickers are from Making Memories, and an old QVC kit by "I have no clue".    Becca is my C'est la vie child, she expects nothing from others (except her mom), rolls with the punches  Ms. Whatever I call her.  I'd bought her the Scapini Medieval Tarot Deck about 10 years ago (kept them safe in my drawer) and thought it would be nice for her to have her own book in which to jot her thoughts/readings/etc. while I teach her.

Hope you like it.  I'm adding a few metal embellishments & a sheet of laminate over the image or varnish to protect it.  Scanning afterwards wouldn't work.  I'll be back to post Days 3 & 4 & 5 ASAP.  Check out all the fabulous works from the good Jolly Bloggers (list on the right).  BB

12 Days of Christmas Simply Betty Challenge 7

The challenge was to use purple, turquoise and lime green with one of Betty's awesome Emo stamps.  I colored the lovely Lola Christmas Emo chickadee with watercolor pencils & markers,  and one of Smeared & Smudged new stamps from Misty Benson's Skelly Christmas,  used some MM snowflakes & a couple of stickers. 

12 Days of Christmas Simply Betty Challenge 6

I absolutely love these Steampunk images from Simply Betty Stamps.  This is just a simple card, the image colored with watercolor pencils, stamped image from Stampers Anonymous,  a gear & brass piece from 7 Gypsies, clock face and stickers from my stash.

12 Days of Christmas S&S Style - Day 2

Ever have one of those days where NOTHING goes right?  It's been a couple of those here in Utah, overflowing sinks, sickness, etc.  Add to that the fact that I am not the queen of organization (pics of my poor neglected craft room to follow), scissors walk away on their own and who knew that ink pads would dry out after a couple of years???Epic fail LOL   

This has the tiniest bit of stamping from Smeared & Smudged newest stamps by Misty Benson (oh to die for!) in "The Wonder of Christmas", along with alot of glitter on a glass ornament.  I used Staz-on White which sort of smudged.

The good news is I've got Sunday's started & is much, much more of the new stamps.  For my dd's Christmas present we are doing ( what's this we business???) I'm making her the ornaments for a Nightmare Before Christmas/Halloween mash-up tree for the front room,  witches, Sally & Jack, & skellies & other things that go "bump in the night".  I hate un-decorating for Halloween, so this year I didn't have to!

p.s. sorry this is 20 minutes late :~{

12 Days of Christmas S&S Style - Day 1

Wow!  It's been ::ahem:: a few months since I posted ANYTHING.  When I signed up for the Challenge, I hadn't touched my stamps & paper arts supplies for awhile, so if it looks lame mea culpa. hahaha.  This is a card I'm making for my DD#2 Becca, who's 19, still at home, and has always been my "different" & "dark" child (she's like her Mom).   I used one of Simply Betty Stamps' digi Emo Halloween stamps colored with Prismacolor pencils, a few Susan Branch stickers (don't judge me ), wire snowflakes from Making Memories.  One of my personal challenges this season is to use what I have, more about that later.  I'm excited to be a part of this group of Jolly Bloggers, it will be an adventure!!!!  ttfn!

Everything Austen Challenge II

Okay, last year I missed the deadline for signing up for this challenge, but not this year. Jane Austen has always been one of my favorite authors, along with the Bronte sisters. Life was so much slower back then, we weren't running here and there, like little hamsters in a wheel. So in honor of Miss Austen, these are the 6 activities I've chosen. I'm excluding re-reading her books, since I pretty much do that on a regular basis, and watching Pride and Prejudice (2005 version) for the umpteenth time (it resides in my DVD player somewhat permanently).

1. Finish The Sampler Girl's "Northanger Abbey" cross stitch sampler
2. Net or knot a small reticule, embroidered with the flowers Jane used in her cross stitch sampler. Perhaps a crocheted purse with silk (I don't knit)
3. Refinish & paint a small 3x3ft table. My plans are to decoupage the center portion and surround that square with gold and white flourishes.
4. Finish reading "Lost in Austen"
5. Read "The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy"
6. Create a cloth & clay Jane Austen doll to sit beside her sewing basket

I'm really new and inept at this blogging deal. Something new to learn, I suppose. Will a spiffy blog help me become "accomplished"? Pictures to come... Dianne

WooHoo it's Bristol, Baby!

Nascar & crafting, what could be better than that?