Going Green - with HDH

Haunted Design House has a new challenge starting today and with all the greenery that spring brings as well as the thought of new life got twisted about as only the Minions can do......
The theme then turns into

Turn Green (with envy)

So with the thoughts, maybe, on bringing new life into an old and battered piece of "junk" or a project that has mainly the colour green in it or ......... you get the idea. 
Susan has more ideas over on the blog. Her narrative is inspiring!!

My project ....
the upcycling of an old coffee tin
from this

 Then a piece of glossy thick paper daubed with different distress inks in shades of green.
This was then coated with the soot of a cheap candle

 Various stamps from the "Fringe" collection from Smeared Ink were then stamped into the soot.
After a couple of coatings of cheap hairspray to set.....

the paper was cut to size and wrapped around the tin,
The top and bottom coloured with alcohol ink (promarker)
then the final touch - a circle of grunged up paper with yet another element of the stamp set used and stuck down to the lid

A scrap of ribbon to neaten and that coffee tin now feels at home on my craft desk.

Your turn now
Go visit the HDH blog for more inspiration on upcycling etc and show us what you come up with

12 Days of Creepmas with Rick St Dennis and Smeared & Smudged

Morning all.
Today is the 2nd day of the Creepmas hop organised by the gals over at the Smeared and Smudged group. They used to be on a ning platform but are transferring to facebook and December is the transition month. Hence the info can be found on both platforms. Terra of Smeared Ink is the host and her blog is the starting point of the hop and more info can be gleaned there.

Rick St Dennis' Airless Chambers is, again. taking part and today is "my day".  Today is also designated "Smeared Ink day" when the projects, if possible, are to be made with stamps available from their shop. It was with this in mind that my first project came into being. I have used stamps from the Dark Holidaze rubber set, designed by Rick St Dennis.
An old tatty tray that has been sitting in my craft room for "a while" got a bit of a make-over with some deco-art paints.
Firstly - the base of the tray. Plenty of masking, colouring with promarkers and then inking with iced spruce distress ink.

The old tatty wooden tray was strengthened on the corners with strips of torn card scraps, inside and out (tearing helps disguise the edges) then coated with white gesso, just in case the was any residual oil in the wood. Second coat Decoart's Pure Pumpkin acrylic paint. When dry, a coat of Weathered Wood. More drying time. Next a coat of purple, sit back and watch the magic happen. The leaves were painted with Blue/green light acrylic and dusted with mica powder. The edges were all given a coat of copper "dazzling metallics" acrylic paint.

When all the paint was dry, a generous coat of decou-page was applied, used both to adhere the stamped panel and to seal the entire project.

My second project was made using Rick's digi images available from the Zibbet shop.
A wreath to decorate a door (possibly?)

 Creepmas Greetings and  Creepmas Tree Lights

Orange and purple satin ribbons on a circle of card (cereal box) wrapped with hessian. Die cut black holly leaves and swirls

 some glossy accents were applied to the lights for added shine and dimension.

I'd like to enter my tray into the challenge at
Smudgy Antics - Anything goes with SI

They're Coming To take Us Away...........

......... Ha ha, he he
They're coming to take us away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa

 Alien Abduction/Invasion

The funny farm would shake their head if I were to be removed to that place I'm sure.
The thought processes that come out of my head make ME wonder occasionally. Then, when The Haunted Design House challenge of this fortnight was drawing close, I had to engage that part of my brain that spewed out creativity. Hubs, bless his cotton socks, always asks if he can throw "this" out. "This" being an outside light fixture today. Just the thing popped up and out of the grey cell that I have tried to keep alive.
Armed with acrylic paint, glass paint, a couple of rubber stamps - Paper Artsy and Smeared Ink, ink and card, teamed with a few bits of wire, glow in the dark mod-podge and some UTEE, my spaceship came into being. As an added "bonus" I installed some battery operated LED lights inside - a "real" spaceship night light.?

 my Alien

 By day

 in the dark with the internal lights on

top view

The glyphs were handpainted on using Maynov's Glyph Collection (public domain)

The Blog gives a few ideas to help tickle your grey cells into activity as well as some fantastic pieces from my fellow teamies.Get along over there and take a peek ......

then come show us what you came up with.

I'd like to enter my altered light fitting into the challenges at
Anything But a Card - Anything Goes
Craft My Life - Anything But a Card
My Craft Creations - Anything Goes

Scrap It Up

A bit late posting this, Sorry. Had to wait til the PC was free.
Anyway
A New Year, a New Challenge with some New Rules over at Smudgy Antics has started. Make sure those rules are read. You'll find them on the left hand side bar.
This next two weeks, the challenge is to

Scrap It Up

Use those bits and pieces that would normally be destined for the bin

The team have really excelled themselves this week with their projects.
For my piece, I used a bottle top. Just one of those from a beer bottle that was rescued during the festivities.

I got the idea from flicking through youtube and saw this by Linda Peterson.
The stamps used are Mr Poe and the raven wings from the Quoth The Raven rubber set that I am so lucky to have. Links here are for the digital version. Both stamped onto shrink plastic. The other is from the digi set Heart Wings. The rubber version is due to be delivered because I am a member of the Smeared Ink Rubber Club. Too late for this project though. This was printed twice onto card, coloured with promarkers and each piece dipped in UTEE before sandwiching the cage bars with silicon glue. The two raven wings pieces had black feathers and the cage hanger sandwiched between them. Final touch were some tiny nail art gems stuck around the rim of the bottle cap.

A bit late to decorate my tree for this year - but will be put safely away for hanging on the tree for next year.

OK guys and gals. Your turn to turn that trash into treasure. Then come and show us over at Smudgy Antics so that we can ogle at your masterpiece.

I would like to enter this into the challenge at
Quoth The Raven - Poe, Poe, Poe, Merry Christmas
Songbird Challenges - Merry Christmas
Anything But a Card challenges - Anything Goes