Dark Dreams - Left of Center Challenge 70

It's time for another challenge over at the very lovely Left of Center and this time the theme is dark dreams (although anything out there is always welcome). For some reason I instantly thought of the story of the little mermaid , and how she dreamt of changing her tail for legs and being with the one she loved, and how that didn't exactly work out well for her.

I used this fabulous stamp from Rebecca Sinz at Sweet Pea Stamps which I thought was so appropriate. 

The card is very simple - a bit of sequin waste (sorry, just don't like the word punchinella!), a small bird charm and a little light stamping with some matting and layering - as I really wanted to focus on the image. I have just treated myself to some neutral markers so I decided to have a play with them and overall I'm pleased with the effect (although the example from the other Rebecca is better). A little crackle accents to the tail and job done. The quote is from the Disney film of the little mermaid, but I think it works well with the darker theme.

Well, that's me for now, and have a lovely day.

Bex

Left of Centre (LOC) #68

This week at Left of Centre Challenge blog the digital stamp sponsor is Dilly Beans. My DT entry uses digital stamp no. 566 Jenn's Heart Framed.  She looked so lost and lonely so I've tried to create a lost and forgotten scrapbook page of a now long forgotten love, I think I'm in a valentines day time warp!

You said you'd love me forever!

The background:  I've used a selection of old scrapbook pages and aged them with distress ink; Vintage Photo and Walnut Ink.  I glued down someold grey embroidery thread for the circle and distressed a chipboard heart from a Heidi Swapp kit. The chipboard letter 'u' was inked with black stazon. LO SIZE 8X8.

The digital stamp: I've coloured the hearts, hair and dress with highlighters and then smooched Walnut distress ink over the whole piece. Attached a button, google eye and an old popper over the eye areas and finally redefined the frame with a permanent pen marker.

Once the piece was assembled I splattered on some brown ink.

I'm really starting to enjoy my experimenting with digital stamps, you play you learn.

The theme over at LOC is Big Eyes, why not have a play and enter one of your pieces, you don't have to use a stamp from the sponsor, in fact, you don't need to use a stamp at all, check out the other entries for inspiration and have fun.

Have a great weekend, happy crafting Lou x

Left of Center - Valentines #64

Just a quick post from me before the fun of Valentine's day begins tomorrow.

I made a wee card using this fab image from Simply Betty stamps. I see a lot of Valentine cards from women but not so many from men, so I thought I'd make something quick and easy that would be suitable from a bloke. Now, I have to be honest, my organisation of my digi stamps is not so hot and I really can't remember what this one is called. Anyway, I just coloured him with promarkers and used some old K & Co papers (urban rhapsody?) as the background as the "number one fan" writing was already on it. I loved the little hearts with bat wings that came with the stamp, so I made a larger one of my own, and bob's our uncle!

Well, that's it from me, but be back for our Valentine weekend.

Bex

Left of Center weekly challenge #63

And another couple from Jas for the lovely Left of Center using stamps from Lacy Sunshine.  I love them both but I am particularly digging the barbed wire one. The quote and what she's done with the skirt are a perfect marriage.

the backgrounds were created using Tim Holtz layed stencil gothic, and modeling paste, one all over in a uniform way, pattern matching as she went, painted with watered black acrylic and then rubbed over with bronze. secondly the stencil was used in patches, painted with emulsion paint in dusky plum, dry brushed in grey, sanded over then again rubbed over with bronze acrylic.

both images were painted with watered down crayola pens.

Well, that's all for now but we will be back soon with some Valentine's specials.

Take care.

Bex

LOC Weekly challenge

Hi

Just a quick post from me, as I'm a last minute substitute for Rebecca.

This week is sponsored by www.Bugaboostamps.com with the theme for kids.  This stamp is called Skelekinz cupcake stroller, although in my defence I didn't know that when I printed it, and I thought they looked more like ice creams oops.

Background paper is an old basic grey in bubblegum pink, I lightly painted some glitter paste on to some bubble wrap to 'print' a spotty sparkly background, and brushed some grey emulsion around the edges.

Next I printed the image in different sizes and flipped a couple so that I could have extra ice creams dotted about,

and I found the quote on my pc from a previous etsy purchase here.

thank you for looking and bye for now.

Jas x

LOC Weekly Challenge

This week the Left of Centre (LOC) Challenge blog is sponored by That Crafty Place (Etsy) and has a 3 layers theme if you just want to go LOC!

Here's my DT contributions for this week and you all know I love my eyeballs!!

3 Layers

Materials Used:

Sizzix Tattered Flowers Die

Sizzix Garden Greens

red paint for splattering

glitter for the petals

a spare plastic eyeball for the flower centre

and a sentiment.

Saucy Sally

Materials Used

Digital stamp from ThatCraft Place coloured with Bic Mark-It Pens and Chalk Pastels (skin tone)

Navy Card

White Card coloured with Pan Pastels

White card frame coloured with Bic Mark-It pen (Navy)

Clear Sticky back plastic & glitter for the glitter window

Quote printed from word document.

NOTE: I really struggle to get the skin tone right, it usually looks like a really bad fake tan, 

so this time around I've used my chalk pastels in a rose pink and a taupe brown

and once applied I use a rubber to remove the intensity of colour until I'm happy with it.

Its fair to say I need more practice but I'll get there!!

Not sure this more CAS (clean and simple) look really works for me but its good to try

new styles, isn't it?

Thanks for popping by

Lou x

LOC weekly challenge

Hello and happy new year from me,

Sorry I haven't been around for a while but this is my first LOC challenge and its good to be back.

This weeks theme was animal instinct from the oddball art company, and I couldn't resist this little fella.

I created 2 layouts, both using hand cut stencils, using heavy weight acetate I printed and cut my designs to fit.

coloured in the backgrounds, added some sparkle and embossing, a quote or two and created these two cheeky chappies.

Not very left of centre but just enough weird to qualify.

thanks for joining me,

jas x

Let it burn! Let it burn! Let it burn!

A quick little Festive Friday post from me - the last one before the big day - so I just wanted to show off a a couple of projects I made for the Left of Center Challenge blog. Firstly, here is my festive evil snowman candle - just light it and watch him melt. Mwwah hah haaa.

To make the candle, you're going to need a nice chunky white candle, some white tissue paper, and an image. I used the evil snowman from Delicious Darkness who are sadly closing down (although there is still time to get 50% off all their images before they do).

If you're using a normal rubber stamp, then you would just stamp your image onto the less shiny side of the tissue paper and colour as desired. If you're using a digi stamp or any other printed image, you will need to iron your tissue paper and then tape it, shiny side down, onto some regular printer paper as below. Make sure that there are no bits of tape sticking out - you don't want to jam up your printer.

Colour your image (I used Copic pens) and cut around it. You can leave a small border - it's not a problem.

To fix the image onto the candle use a small amount of glue from a non-toxic glue stick just to hold the image in place, then use a heat gun and gently run it over the image to slightly melt the wax underneath. This will seep through the tissue paper, binding it to the candle. Any of the tissue paper itself, such as the border, will also melt into the candle to become invisible. If you heat too much, the candle will distort, so start gently!

I'm entering the candle into the Altered Eclectics Challenge Blog and the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers for naughty Christmas.

The other project is just a wee card for a friend who always found Santa a little, well, creepy. I used the Skully Santa from Smeared Ink as it was the perfect creepy Santa Claws. I used the music from "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" - he sees when you are sleeping, he know when you're awake. Creepy or what! I hope they like it.

Anyhoos, have a lovely Christmas everyone, and we will be back soon with more weirdness for ya!

Bex

29. Colourful Creepy Collage and Wicked Wednesday Giveaway

Giveaway details at the end for impatient ones!

Well, Halloween is nearly upon us, so I thought I would do something that is quick and easy to knock up for when you need that last minute Halloween card, present, or bit of decor. Same technique also works for Christmas too - do I lose points for mentioning the C word already?!

First of all, you need to cut some paper. I used scrap watercolour paper for mine, but it would also work with leftover patterned paper, just with a different result.

I cut mine into inchies (1" square), twinchies (2" square) and rectangles of 1" x 2". 1" x 3" and 2" x 3" as I found these worked best for me. Now, sadly I don't have nearly enough Halloween stamps, but I used what I had and just stamped in black Versafine and inked the edges with the same. I then coloured them with a variety of distress inks and a water brush. Simples. I also did a few shapes just adding googly eyes (yup, still trying to use my stash of those) and highlighted bits with a gel pen.

Now, these shapes should all fit together into a kind of Halloween collage which makes quick and easy cards as you can see.

Apologies for the photos, for some reason when I crop some of my more colourful pics then they just don't work.

I also added some to an 8" square canvas for a bit of home decor. Since this had a sturdier substrate than the card I could add some other elements, such as little charms, glass bottles and my last doll arm left over from the zombie door.

Finally, those 1" x 2" pieces are perfect domino size. Glue one onto a domino, add some glossy accents, and use the same glossy accents to add a bail onto the back, and you have a pretty quick Halloween gift.

So there you go - a few bits of scrap paper, a bit of stamping and colouring, and you have a world of possibilities. If you don't want to bother with the stamping, you could even try the same thing with leftover scraps of patterned paper. The world is your lobster!

And finally, the giveaway. Leave a comment, here or on our facebook group, before midnight GMT on Saturday 1 November to be in with a chance of winning a set of canvas, card and domino pendant. I have TWO sets to give away. Winners will be announced sometime on Sunday 2 November when I've had enough coffee to sort them out! Good luck, and thanks for looking.

I have entered this into the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers challenge for pink Halloween for the card, the Artistc Inspirations Challenge for spookyand the Left of Center Challenge for Halloween.

Tune in tomorrow to see Jas's last Halloween project.

Bex