Macabre Monday #58 Magical Mayhem and Sweet Pea Stamps Challenge - Show Us Your Dream

There's Magical Mayhem at Haunted Design House this week and I've used the gorgeous ching-chou kuik's Exotic Halloween from Sweet Pea Stamps. I have to say these images look intimidating to color, but I'm always so proud of myself when they're done. Magical, wouldn't you say? She's colored with Copics and highlighted with Spica Pens for extra sparkle (which of course doesn't show in the pic). I chose the colors from the fab paper by Basic Grey Eerie 6x6 pad. She's cut and matted with my Nesties labels 9 and I added some tiny Rain Dots to the DP for texture. I gathered some gorgeous webby ribbon sent by my Sinister Sister, Creepy Glowbug (thanks, Glo!) and added a Prima flower, some orange rhinestones and 2 star pins by Making Memories (that looked like magic wands to me). I'm also entering this in the very first Sweet Pea challenge at In a Sweet Pea Dream which is Show Us Your Dream. The Macabre Minions have wonderful things in store for you at Haunted Design House so be sure to take a look and come play along. Then pop on over to In a Sweet Pea Dream to check out the great new things happening at this fabulous new challenge blog.

Macabre Monday Netherworld Nymphs and Smeared and Smudged Oh! the Horror Challenge

Much to the relief of some of you, my Macabre Monday card isn't creepy so it's safe to look. LOL Our challenge this week is Netherworld Nymphs and I was excited to use one of the (MANY) Sweet Pea Stamps I own. This one is ching-chow kuik's Fairy of the Night. All of these stamps are just gorgeous but I though she might be able to be "darkened up " enough for Haunted Design House. I stamped her 3 times in order to cut her out for the dimension and colored her with my Copics. One of the reasons I went to the Expo on Saturday is because I wanted to do her in purples and found I had hardly any! I hate buying them at a premioun price but what's a girl to do? The crystal ball in her had was stamped on holographic paper with Staz On and cut out. Then I used an acrylic bubble over it so it really glows IRL. The star necklace is also acrylic from a Recollections pack form M's amd I scattered them around the frame to add to the magical feel. The sentiment is a Sweet Pea stamp as well. I've also recently joined the Smeared and Smudged Forum and this month's Oh! the Horror challenge takes inspiration from the movie Pan's Labyrinth. I did see this (really bizarre) movie (in the theater, even) and enjoyed it immensely. My inspiration is the oval stone gate and twisted vines from the movie poster. This is a fun group with a wide variety of stampers participating so I encourage you to check it out.

The double mats are cut with my Nesties Deckle Ovals and popped along with the sentiment and fairy layers. Papers are Stampin'Up (thanks Lillie) and K & Co. Obviously I'm still playing with my MS Iron Gate punch, this time the corners of the sentiment mount. The silvery fiber is from my stash. Be sure to stop by Haunted Design House to see what the other Minions have created and we're thrilled to see so many more of you playing along. We've got stuff going on throughout the week (and not all of it is totally creepy) and this Friday is the 13TH!!!! Oh oh, prepare to be scared! Bwahahaha!!!!

Oh Alice! Crazy for Daisy Chains Challenge

Yesterday I did not craft. My room was such a mess that I literally couldn't walk around or find ANYTHING. It was causing me so much duress I HAD to clean it up (and believe me, I have a huge tolerance for clutter, LOL). Fortuanately this morning I was able to get right in and do the challenge for Oh Alice! which is a sketch done by the fabulous DT member Tasha along with daisies or a similar flower. I LOVE this sketch and remembered I had what looks to me like a daisy chain trim right in my stash (AND I was able to find it, WooHoo!) so I used it to create the swish from the sketch. I followed it quite literally with a few extra embellishments. The gorgeous stamp is a Sweet Pea by Elaine Cox, colored with my Copics, cut and matted with my Petite Ovals Nesties. The sentiment is from Sassy Studio Designs and the gorgeous crocheted flowers are hand made by Leah at Paper Blossoms. (I'm afraid it doesn't look like she's selling them anymore, but they're lovely!)

The daisy chain created qite a bit of bulk so both the plaid mat (Basic Grey Kioshi) and the image are popped. (Who am I kidding? You know I would have popped them anyway. LOL) Thanks for another great challenge, ladies! xxD

The Cuttlebug Spot Sketch Challenge and Caardvarks Embossing Challenge

This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we have a lovely sketch to work with from our very talented DT member Aymee. I was lucky enough to have a gorgeous new stamp set from Sweet Pea Stamps that I was dying to play with. I thought it would go perfectly with my FAVE K&Co paper so I heat embossed it in black on cream cardstock. (I almost NEVER heat emboss but I'm SOOO PLEASED at how it came out!) Conveniently, the Caarvaarks June challenge is wet or dry embossing so WooHoo for that!

The long vertical strip is embossed with the Textile Texture embossing folder and I used a Martha Stewart border punch along the edge. I didn't think that was enough embossing, so I embossed the card front itself with the Limited edition Butterflies folder from Crafts Too I got at Custom Crops. Because it was smaller than the card front, I then used a border from the Organic Flourish border set to fill in the gap at the other edge.

I used my Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Florals die to make the flowers. This Bigz Die works just fine in the Cuttlebug by removing your A plate and replacing it with a B plate. Then use the die, cardstock and another B plate. I spritzed the flowers with water and crumpled them, let them dry, uncrumpled and VOILA! Please be sure to visit The Cuttlebug Spot to see the lovely creations by my DT sisters, and we'd love it if you'd play along. I was sooo happy to see last week's particpation.

Oh Alice! Chapter 14-Getting Sketchy on a Golden Afternoon

This week the Oh Alice! challenge is a sketch by the talented DT member Jen Shults. Fortunately I've managed to overcome my fear of sketches and no longer run away screaming. I'm also getting the hang of tweaking it just a tad and not feeling totally guilty. The adorable image is by Elaine Cox for Sweet Pea Stamps colored with my Copics. I popped a mat cut with my Large Scallop Oval Nesties. The DP's are Basic Grey Urban Prairie 6x6 pad and Me&My Big Ideas 8x8 pad. the lacy punches are MS and the flowers are Prima. I really love the colors and almost think this could be used as a baby card (providing the recipient doesn't think I'm calling her new bundle a piglet. LOL) What do you think?

Oh Alice Mushroom Inspiration- Chapter 13

OMG! Two in one day! I'd wait to post, but I'd be late for the very important date to post this week's Chapter 13 Mushroom Inspiration Challenge at Oh Alice! This fabulous stamp is ching-chou kuik's Cheshire Cat Illusion from Sweet Pea Stamps. Isn't the image just EXQUISITE? I (attempted) to color her using the inspiration illustration colors (below my card) and cut the image out with my Labels ? (well, they're around here somewhere) Nesties and backed it with the In Spades Pendant. The DP is Prima Nursery Rhymes and the card stock is Bazzill and Stampin'Up. Although the embossed strip looks almost identical to the D'Vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder, it is actually the new Texture Fades Swirls folder by Tim Holtz. I wouldn't have bought this one, but I got them all in a bundle for a great price at Crop Stop so there you go.

I embellished using skeleton leaves I've had since dinosaurs roamed the earth and some peacock feathers. and adhesive gems. although I'm going to need LOTS more practice on these Sweet Pea Stamps images, I've recently purchased TONS of them and have more on the way. Love, love, LOVE them!

Oh Alice!, Sweet Pea Stamps and Simon Says Stamp Challenges

This week at Oh Alice! we're to work with a sketch by DT member Tasha. Great sketch but you know the trouble I have with them. I actually managed to turn this one 90 degrees (I'm so proud of myself, LOL) because I wanted to use this fabulous image by Sweet Pea Stamps. I was introduced to these fab stamps by Oh Alice! DT member Jessica and fell totally in love! I received my order on Monday, just in time to get started on my sketch card, and also for Sweet Pea Stamps 1st Anniversary to create a birthday or anniversary card. They're having a Customer BLOG hop celebration. Of course I'm participating and you can too. The darling image by Elaine Cox ( just one of 8 and of course I bought them ALL!) is colored with my Copics and cut with my Nesties. I added embossing to both mats to enter this card in the Simon Says Stamp challenge also, which is create a card with a movie theme and add dry embossing. (Do you believe 2 entries for that challenge this week?) I used tiny bubbles and the flower folder that comes with the With Tanks Card Making Combo. The colors and patterns are kind of "out there" because that's my vision of Wonderland and I thought it added to the party theme. The papers are K&Co. The sentiment is spelled out in Alpha Beads and theoretically could be used for a birthday or anniversary, don't ya think?