Got a Request to Create some Zen ANimals

     

My neighbor has a young girl who loves art, and loves to come over and create art with me and her mom. She saw my art journal was filled with Zen doodles that included one of a turtle. She asked me if I could draw some animals.  The phot above is of Poe's Raven. Edgar Allen Poe is one of my fave writers. The poem "The Raven" is well-known by fans. I think my ravens look cuter than the one he writes about...

Below, I drew some very extinct animals - Dinosaurs!! I had fun with this one, and wanted to give a her a group of assorted dino's. I decided to create a message for each of my pages. The first is a quote from Poe's famous poem. The second is just something I think everyone should adhere to. Don't you? 

Ike's World Challenge Blog Salutes Edgar AllenPoe

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I took an independent study course on Edgar Allen Poe. My final grade was based on a 30 page paper on the author and poet - his life, his love and his work.
The new challenge at Ike's World Challenge Blog, Celebrating Edgar Allen Poe, fits in perfectly with my educational background AND my love of Ike's Art digis!
I've colored and collaged several digi images from Ike's Art Store to showcase one of my favorite quotes from the author - "Believe nothing you hear and only one-half that you see". My project includes the following:

Images: Ike's Art  Candle Poe, Pocket Watch 2, Knight 1, Deamon Horse 4, Kat Woman, 

Queen of Hearts, Children of the Night, Peeping Tom

Pixel Scrappers Melo Vrijhof's Painted Edge Overlay 6; Mischief Circus' 

Krysty's Designs Boring Evening Patterned Paper 13

Do you like the writings of Poe? What's your favorite poem or story? The Tell-tale Heart was one of my favorite stories, and of course The Raven my fave poem. He is the perfect master of Halloween, don't you think? If you've a mind to create with Mr. Poe as your muse, don't forget to link up at Ike's World Challenge Blog for your chance for free goodies from her store! 

Challenges I am Enering:

A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper - Anything w/patterned paper Goes

Oddball Art - Happy Horrors

World Wide Open Design Team - Anything Goes

I LoveSpooky Challenges

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, at least when it comes to crafting. Not only do I have massive amounts of Halloween-themed images and stamps (and embellishments and papers), but I like to use every day images and turn them to the dark side (Luke, I am your father...).
Anyway, I wanted to show you a cards and a sweet project for some of this week's blog challenges. 
I love Edgar Allan Poe and his writing, so here's a card I made using a digi image of which I've only left the "bare bones" from which my scary verses peek through.

I decided to print out Edgar's deliciously twisted poem, The Raven, as my starting point, highlighting some words and phrases to spotlight the mood of my card.

  Then, to show off that background, I fussy-cut the image so that all you get is his outline, and you can see the poetry through his body (yes, i know I could have printed him onto the words, but I didn't think of doing that until both were already printed out and I'm not one to waste paper and printer ink).  I filled in the white around the image edges with Spectrum Noir marker in grey.

Not your average color-in-the-lines-of-a-digi-image card, but I like the look of it, and I hope you do too!

Next, I mixed up non-traditional colors on an Ike's Art digi image called an Ike's Art digi image called Vaguely Goth.Whoever thought to use punky pink with gothic black to say Happy Halloween, right? But as you can see, it works (at least for me). This card is going into the SBP Halloween Challenge blog post. Ike's Art is the guest sponsor, and she has generously offered five digital images to a random participant!

Finally, I created a Candy favor for the upcoming holiday candy free-for-all at my house. I colored a Bugaboo digi image called Halloween Skelekins - Sitter with my Copics, cut her out after giving her a little magical shimmer and framed her with black card stock. I popped her onto Halloween patterned paper, added a few freaky embellies and then filled a long tall bag with candy and put her on top to guard it.

I'm entering her into this week's Bugaboo Anything Goes challenge cause she's so adorable.

I hope you get some time to craft, and whatever you craft, have some (spooky) fun!!

DREAMS Midway Challenge from Path of Positivity

Dreams is the theme for the Path of Positivity Challenge blog this month. Although many would interpret the theme to mean "hopes and aspirations," I took it literally and created a mixed media canvas.

Between my new interest in water colors and my new passion for mixed media canvas, I am spreading my craftiness thin, but still make more cards than anything else. However, I do so love to dabble and experiment, and that's really what ART is all about. And of course, where would ART be without dreamers?

For today's project, I got to color up a digi image from Ike's Art. It's called "Poe Bust." I love Edgar Allen Poe, have his poems and stories, read his bio, and took a 3-credit Independent Study at college on Mr. Poe and his writings (got an A, too).

I used a combination of Copics and Spectrum Noir to color my image (I didn't have enough Copics in the black family).  Before adding it to a canvas, I Mod Podged (homemade), gessoed (again homemade), painted and inked a base onto my blank canvas. I gathered together assorted charms, flowers, photos, diecuts, etc, and played around with it all until I found a pattern I liked. I even handwrote words about dreaming and waking from them.

The sentiment is a digi from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles. I distressed it by folding and ripping the paper, then adding distress inks. I hope you take some time to check out all the little embellishments that complete my canvas. Then I hope you are inspired to try it yourself.

Whether you paint or make cards, don't forget to play in the Path of Positivity's challenge this month. Create with a Dream theme and link up your project. Great prizes to several winners, as always!!

• For Challenge 16, prizes will be the following:
• £15 voucher from Scribble and Scrap, for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• Three digital images from Ike's Art for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• One digital image from Creative Bug Digital Stamps for each person chosen as a DT Delight.
• There will also be:
• One digital designer paper from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge. 

Tipping My Crafter's Hat to Mr. Poe

Today I honor one of my fave authors, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe.  One of my fave stories from his compilation of writing includes the short story, The Tell-Tale Heart.  

I remember doing a college independent study on him and his macabre works of fiction.  I also remember that I got an A on that 30 page final. 

So I’ve been playing with Mod Podge a lot lately, mostly on mixed media canvas art.  I decided to see what it looks like on a card, so I used a smidge of it on this card, adhering a torn piece of leftover Valentine napkin and some vellum sheet music to create my background.

Then I distressed with ink. I used a mirrored tile and some ribbon to give it a little shine.  I tore up the phrase  "master of macabre” and placed the words on the embellishments on my card.  

The arrow, heart and banner are chipboard stickers from Basic grey.  The phrase, ribbon and mirror are all part of a generous card kit I received from my good friend and fellow artist, Jean.  We have a Facebook page on which crafters can join in monthly card kit swaps create, and show off their work on our page.  Here's the link:  

 Jean & Pat's Card-a-Month Cafe

Hope to see you there!