Dark Side of Crafting

I just discovered a great blog connected to the talented artist Rick St. Dennis called Airless Chambers, and they offer monthly challenges!!  This makes me happy that I again have a creative outlet for the darker side of my crafting and card making! I love the images he creates so I jumped on the challenge and came up with this card.

The challenge in June is to create ANYTHING BUT SQUARE and no sharp corners .  
So I created a rectangular card and after adding a couple layers to the base, I used this great black and white hounds' tooth tissue paper and ripped & adhered it to a black mat.

I colored my image, called Voodoo Skull Man, (a freebie for those who wish to join in the June challenge) with my trusty Copics, tore him out of his cardstock cage, and distressed the torn edges with Tim Holtz inks.

The sentiment is actually a magnet from off my refrigerator (shh, don't tell my granddaughter, who loves making sentences with the whole collection).

I embellished the card with inked edges, a black ribbon and flower, and a fun crop of feathers.  Uh oh, I think my granddaughter has caught on--that must be why he's running.  Run, Skull Man, before she catches you!  LOL

Wanna play?  Get over to Airless Chambers and snag your freebie and create!  And as always, have fun!!

Anything Goes at Forever Night Creepy Challenges

What a great way to end the year--a great challenge and the news that I will be a 2012 DT member for Forever Night Creepy Challenge Blog!!  So please hop on over to the blog and check them out--you can celebrate your dark side of crafting, where it's Halloween all year round!!  Tell them Pat sent you!!

The Anything Goes Challenge runs through January 3, and her's my entry.  I used two of my fave images from Queen Kat Designs, Holly Fairy from artist Catherine Swinford, and Vampire Bat Eye by artist Nora Blansett.  First, I used patterned papers from DCWV stacks.  The I colored my images with a mix of Copics and Spectrum Noir.  I fussy-cut both images, using only a part of each.  The sentiment was printed in Word and punched with an scallop oval punch, and distressed with Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  I drew the "cracks" in the sentiment freehand.
I had the most fun with the embellishments.  I used some gross grain black ribbon along the side, and part of a feather and jingle bell wreath embellishment that was 70% discounted at Joann's!  A black flower covers the end of the feather embellie.
Do you like my card?  I love the sentiment: "Be careful what you wish for..."  I think this fairy asked for a pet, but didn't specify what kind.  I think Santa's evil twin (look for the book by Dean Koontz-I have it out for overnight guests to read before going to bed-guaranteed nightmares) has a morbid sense of humor, don't you?
I hope you were very specific when you made your wish list this year!!  Happy crafting, y'all!!

Mixed Media Just Because card

My crafting has mood swings.  Sometimes I'll enter a CAS period where less is better, and clean lines and white spaces are beautiful.
Then there are my periods when I use up a certain embellishment, like lace, or flowers, or buttons.  And let's not forget color obsession.  I was on a Teal kick for weeks!
Well, today I was inspired by Jean Blenkhorn's artwork, and tried my hand at a multimedia card.  It's 5x7, because if I'm going to throw on all the elements that move me, my card has to have room for them!

I started with a Queen Kat Designs stamped image called  Porcelain Mermaid by Terra Bidlespacher.  I colored her before even looking for a theme or patterned paper to use.  I just wanted my muse to take me wherever it wanted.
Once she was colored with my copics, I found a piece of amazing seashell patterned paper.  I built on this base, weaving raffia to look like a net, adding tiny seashells and ocean-themed buttons.  I ink-distressed the image, the sentiment and the card base with both Distress Inks and chalks.
I found a Tim Holtz embellishment--a tiny corked bottle, and cut and rolled some printed paper to stuff inside it.  The bow is tied brown netting, and the seagull perched on the sentiment?  Another ocean-themed button.
I'm not used to throwing everything but the kitchen sink on a card, but the embellishments called to me.  Who knows?  From this project I might start using paint and mod podge and all sorts of items.  Or I might go back to simple, pretty, whimsical, clean.
Wherever I go, it will be to follow where my muse leads.
Where does your muse lead you?  If it takes you to the beach, then Terra's Porcelain Mermaid is a great starting point.  You can find her and her salty friends HERE.