Famous Last Words at Haunted Design House

It's another Macabre Monday and the second week for our Famous Last Words Challenge at Haunted Design House.  Now these last words don't necessarily have to be from a famous movie or well known novel, although I happened to choose "Pet Sematary" by Stephen King, a personal FAVE!  They can be death bed utterances or confessions of someone famous or infamous. Be creative, but try and be dark, or funny AND DARK, ok?  My piece combines digis from some of my FAVE artists. The graveyard background is by fellow Minion Teri of Delicious Doodles.  You can find yours HERE.  I actually cropped out the building and sky in the digi and combined two of the gravestones only (one flipped) to get a more rustic setting, then shaded a bit with Copics and sponged with Distress.  I had to include the quote from Jud in the book because no truer words were ever spoken (in this case, anyway).

The fab kitty (who inspired it all) is from fellow Minion Ike.  You can find yours HERE. I colored him sort of roughly with Copics (he's been hit by and car and came back from the dead, after all) but the eyeballs were clipped from a Pet Sematary Book cover I found on the net (see the gravestones reflected in his eyes? WAY COOL!) and pasted in with my Printmaster program.  WooHoo!  I kinda love it!

I have to say that the word "Darling" often gives me chills, but not in this way.  This final word is uttered by Rachel (after she's killed by the son they resurrected and then hubby decides it would be a good idea to try it with her too. Silly man!)  and the rest lies in your imagination.  EEEK!!  I crinkled and distressed this quote to represent her gravelly voice as she lays her hand on Louis' shoulder.  The mind is way more creepy when left to it's own devices but I imagine Rachel doesn't look a hell of a lot better than this chick, (part of)one of the Zombie pin-ups by Smeared Ink.  You can find yours HERE. So there's my cheery little offering for fine Monday morning.  Now scurry off to Haunted Design House to further taint your week and please consider getting your creep on and joining us in the dungeon.  I know you wanna.  xx

Dilly Beans Metal Accents Challenge

It's Friday, and you know that means another fab challenge at Dilly Beans Designers and Challenge Blog.  This week we're featuring metal accents.  My original plan was to make an ATC to enter in the Wicked Wednesday ATC Add a Charm challenge and that I did, using #339 Frida's Flower Headband (flipped).  I colored the metal charm with a Bic marker and strung it on a wine charm for a necklace.  Her hair is paper pieced and I've added tiny metal roses to her hair.  But it'a a card you say.  Well yes, it is.  I wanted to include the "inspire" sentiment because it is also metal and because I find Frida Kahlo such an inspiring artist.  Kinda love the bow strings embossing folder by Sizzix, too.

But I've made the ATC removeable by using 2 layers of card stock and cutting a flap in on of the layers so it can slide over the pink strip on the card.  The 2 layers makes the ATC much sturdier too.

So TA DAA!  The ATC on it's own, ready to be entered in The Wicked Wednesday Challenge, the Simon Says Stamp Paper Piecing Challenge, and the Moving along with the Times Bling it On challenge.

And don't forget to pop by the Dilly Beans Shop to Check out the fab sale going on.  Get the deets HERE.

The Altered Alice Chapter 23: We're All Mad Here, So Anything Goes

Sit back and grab a cuppa because this post is gonna take as long to read as it did for me to finish the project, but I must say, I haven't been this excited about crafting in a LONG while. We'll be having a little reminder post over at The Altered Alice a bit later, but in the meantime, here's another little inspiration from me. There's still time to enter.

 

`In THAT direction,' the Cat said, waving its right paw round, `lives a Hatter: and in THAT direction,' waving the other paw, `lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad.'

`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.

`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'

`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.

`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'

-- Chapter 6, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

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"We're all mad here" is the favorite Alice quote of artist Rick St. Dennis, so in January, anything goes! Be mad! Get cute, get creepy, get crazy, because Rick St. Dennis has amazing digi stamps in all those styles, including many wonderful AIW images! Submit your creations by Friday, January 25th for a chance to win three digital stamps from Rick St. Dennis. All projects are welcome, but those featuring Wonderland will have two chances at the prize instead of one. Multiple entries are welcome, but to be counted as separate entries they must be on separate posts.

The one thing I have been able to do during my crafting slump is color, and the fabulous AIW images are so much FUN to color that I wanted to use as many as possible.  My thought was to have Alice fallling down the rabbit hole and seeing all the characters on the way (wasn't initially sure how I was gonna pull that off ) but I didn't really have an Alice that fit my vision.  Rick to the rescue!  I mentioned it to him and within an hour he sent me this fabulous Alice, exactly how I had described her.  What a GUY!  Now I'm not saying he's gonna go cranking out custom stuff every time, but he does welcome suggestions.  I was particularly thrilled when he put her in the shop with a little mention.  You can grab her HERE.  Thanks ever so much, Rick!  She's just perfect, so I printed her in three different sizes to give the illusion that she's falling and used an ancient Sizzix Spiral die to cut the hole.  I colored it in a checkerboard motif and and thought "Now what?"

My initial thought was to make a book with a page for each character and holes of descending size on each page as Alice fell further and further down.  Yeah, right.  Choosing DP sends me into fits of indecision so that was DEFINITELY out! Besides, having them all together has such greater impact, don'tcha think? My solution was to do a step card which conveniently allowed me to stretch out my hole for the depth I was imagining with room on the side for all the other guys.  I didn't even use DP because I thought the black and white background scheme showed the colored images to better advantage.  Just a bit of embossing for texture and I was good to go. 

 

So on the way, Alice encountered The March Hare,

 

The Tweedles,
 

 

The Queen of HeArts Zentagle Style,
 

 

and the Mad Hatter.

 

They're all colored with Copics and fussy cut, mostly with a craft knife so as not to clip off any of the fabby details.  (A little tip here.  I use my old Cricut mats to cut images with my knife because the little sticky that's left keeps them from slipping and protects any surface).  This took FOREVER, and imagine my dismay when I realized that because of the cheap crap paper I use to print my images, the bleed through required I back them and do it all AGAIN!  (I seriously considered skipping that part and making sure the pix didn't show any of the mess, but once I laid the colored images down on black and saw how the colors popped, I decided it was soooo worth it.)

But wait a minute.  What about the Cheshire Cat?  I'd run out of steps.  Hmmm...  He did seem to appear in the trees so I used a Crafts Too folder and embossed and fussy cut a tree for him to sit in.  I did flip him in my Printmaster Program because he looked better facing the opposite direction of the March Hare and his swirlies are enhanced with metallic gel pens so he sort of sparkles.

My only problem now was making the tree strong enough to hold him and not collapse on the rest of Wonderland.  Fortunately, I planned on backing the tree with black too and inserted a skewer up the trunk before attaching the layers.  Then I folded up the sides (thank God I left the bottom sides long) and glued that to the last step. The black ground is taped directly to the bottom of the last fold and then held on each side with adhesive foam to keep the tree upright. The banner in front was computer generated and cut by hand and I colored some of my pink metallic hearts red, with a Bic Marker to embellish it.  DONE!  and let me tell you I was doin' the "Happy Dance"! 

Now, if you're not snoring, I invite you to pop over to The Altered Alice for more inspiration with Rick's wonderful images.  There's still time to enter and it doesn't even have to be an Alice project, although those who do get a double chance at winning.  I might also mention that Rick has just added some new Wonderland images to his Etsy SHOP so be sure and check those out, too.  I've already snatched them up and can't wait to color some more.

Finally, I'm also entering this in the Sparkle and Glitter with Rick St. Dennis current Challenge which is Anything but a Square.  Pretty sure this qualifies,  the Totally Papercrafts It's Embossing Time Challenge, A Gem of a Challenge Emboss It, The Simply Create Linky Party #18, and the Glitter and Sparkle Sentimental Challenge. Finally, I'm adding it to the Octopode Factory Friday Mad Hatter's Tea Party Challenge because I didn't get a chance to do one with my fabulous Octopode stamps.  So sorry Lily, you know I love you and your work.  Thanks for hangin' in there with me.

Dilly Beans Bookmarks Challenge

TGIF, y'all!  Got anything good planned for the weekend?  It's my first in 2 where I'm not scrambling for a dinner party so I'm looking forward to kickin' back.  Hear we might even hit the 60's, weather wise.  WooHoo! Maybe I'll crack open a good book.  Kinda inspired by our Dilly Beans Bookmarks Challenge.  How cold I not use Alice?  She's the very first Dilly Beans I bought and I have to say she's still my fave.  I sort of stretched her out and printed her BIG.  The original plan was to use her without a backing, but her little legs were kinda delicate so...

I mounted her an a couple of different whimsicle double sided Heidi Grace paper and used my Nesties Labels Seven to top it off with a book, complete with pages.  While walking yesterday the song "White Rabbit" popped into my head (I've got Alice on the brain at the mo) and the line "Feed your head." stuck in mine and it seemed so apropo in a reading context that I couldn't wait to include it.  (Oh crap!  Looking at this picture I realize I've forgotten to add the little white dots to her eyes to make 'em shine.  HHmmm.... Guess they're glazed over from feeding her head.)  Easy fix, but I'm not doing this over so just imagine they're there, okay?  It was a long day.

The sentiment was done with 2 styles of epoxy stickers from K&CO.  Way easier than gluing Alpha Beads and I wanted this to lay flat so as not to damage a book.

Of course you can use my bookmark the conventional way, but I thought it might be nice if she could just peek over the page so I used my craft knife with this result. Umm, maybe not.  Looks like the Queen of Hearts got to her.  Kudos to you if you made it through this really, really, really long post.  I'm feeling a bit chattier these days and somewhat closer to my former crafty self.  Gee, maybe one of these days I'll even fire up my Cricut.  In the meantime, thanks for dropping by and may I suggest popping over to Dilly Beans to feast your eyes on the fabulous inspiration there.  You'll be glad you did...promise!

I'm also entering this in the Whimsical Wednesdays Anything Goes Challenge.  So happy to see Stephanie and the crew back doing challenges and I thought this was a particularly fitting project because I met Stephanie doing an Alice project for her many moons ago.  Remember, Steph?

Another Resolution Page for Sparkle and Glitter with RSD

I'm having a ball with my New Year's Resolution Book.  Here's another page I'm sneaking in under the wire for the New Beginnings challenge at Sparkle and Glitter with RSD.  Been feeling a bit out of sorts after all of the gastric indulgences over the holidays so my healthful Resolution #2 is to Eat More Roughage.  Not quite sure I'll be going this far but I happy as a clam being able to use more of the cool Creepmas images I both bought and won during Rick's 12 Days of Creepmas Hop on his other Blog, Airless Chambers, and didn't get to play with.

I've used Creepmas Snacks (who I don't happen to see in the SHOP right now) and Christmas Tree Monster, who seems more than a tad upset at the mo at the fate of some of his baubles.  They're both colored with Copics and metallic gel pens and I've used more of my K&Co Christmas Cheer DP.  Better cut this short now so I can beat the Linky. 

Freaker's Free for All at Haunted Design House

WooHoo!  We're BAAACK!  It's a brand New Year and Macabre Mondays are up and running again at Haunted Design House with a new look and new fortnightly (meaning bi-weekly, but isn't fortnightly infinitely more posh?) format and being on Team B, I get to procrastinate and check out Team A's stuff before I even have to think about mine.  Me likey!  Better yet, to ease into this our challenge is a perenniel fave, Freaker's Free for All, which means Anything Goes (as long as it's not overtly cute, because frankly, that makes us all toss our cookies).

Ahhh, 2013!  A time for new beginnings and a crapload of good intentions that pretty much get tossed aside by Feb, but in the interest of at least documenting my failures, I've decided to start a little New Year's Resolution Journal so I can look back and see how I've failed miserably at the end of the year.  Let's start with the Resolution I make every year, shall we?  You think I'm kidding here?  Ah well...nope!  My deadline used to be Valentine's Day, but last year I reached a new low.  Thank God for fake trees or we wouldn't even be having this discussion.  In my defense, I'm generally still putting stuff up as the doorbell rings on Christmas Eve so it's not like stuff has been up since before Thanksgiving, and the lights are so damn pretty and...well anyway, THIS YEAR IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT. I have to admit, it sorta cramps my style and I'm fairly embarrassed to have people over or open the door for the UPS guy after a certain number of weeks.  I've used (quite appropriately) a Creepmas image from Rick St. Dennis called "I Got Decoratin' to Do" and she was a ball to color with Copics.  Dig the leopard knickers, whadda ya think?  She's enlisted the help of some friendly bats from the Smeared Ink Bats with Garland- Gothic Christmas that comes individually and as a set and a couple of martinis.  Oh oh, I sense another Resolution coming somewhere down the road...  The DP is from the ancient K& Co Christmas Cheer stack that I loved so much in 2009 that I bought a bazillion pads of it.  Time to start using that puppy, eh? 

So that's my first project of the New Year at HDH.  Feels so good to get my creep back on.  Please visit the Blog to see the rest of Team B's fab projects HERE as well as the stellar offerings from Team A HERE.  And don't forget, there's still time to link up your dark, creepy or Gothic projects and let the Minions faun all over your fabulous talent. Now that you've got 2 whole weeks, there's no excuse.

I'm also entering this in the Sparkle and Glitter with Rick St. Dennis New Beginnings Challenge, the Milk Coffee New Beginnings challenge, Corrosive Challenges Out with the Old (in this case the DP) and the Glitter n Sparkle Use a Digi Challenge.

Dilly Beans Winter Fun Challenge

It's Friday and that means there's another fun challenge at The Dilly Beans Challenge Blog...literally.  Our challenge this week is Winter Fun.  No snow here were I live in CA but I have loads of fond memories as a kid of building igloos and snowmen, sledding, and skating outdoors on the rink my Dad used to build in the backyard.  I kinda miss that white stuff, except scraping my windshield and driving in it.  For my project I've chosen #515 Amalia Making a Snowman.  I colored the image with Copics to match the cute DP from MME.  The snow was torn from a corrugated sheet and I've added a few pom pom snow balls and glitter snowflakes.  The large flake at the bottom is Cuttlebug, the smaller, MS and the sentiment is computer generated.  Hope you like.  Now go get your chilly thrills and see the fab inspiration by my teamies HERE.  Can't wait to see what you create.

I'm also entering this in the Sweet Stampin' Christmas Cold and Frosty Challenge, The Crafting by Designs Getting Ready for Christmas Use a Snowman Challenge, the Fab 'n' Funky Winter Challenge, the Creative Card Crew Snow and Ice Challenge and The Perfect Sentiment Winter Wonderland Challenge.

ADFD for Wicked Wednesday

Just under the wire again for the Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge this week.   The challenge is A Fairy Happy New Year, too cute!  I also wanted to play in the ADFD Something Shiny Challenge so I chose this adorable digi called Christmas Delivery.

She's colored with Copics with Stickled wings and the details on her outfit shine with Spica pens.  I first colored the ornament with Silver gel pen and then used Glossy accents to shine it up further.  In person it looks like the glass ornaments you pour the floor wax into and coat with glitter from the inside.  The DP has foil accents and is mounted on mirror board for further shine.  The numbers were cut on my Cuttlebug (again in mirri) from my ancient Typeset Alphabet and I've added silver adhesive beads to the corners.  Shiny enough?  I sure hope so, but not the easiest to photograph.  I rarely say a project looks better in person, but this one truly does.

And speaking of ADFD, you still have time to do their mini blog hop for a chance to win the new January Club Kit which is ADORABLE.  Click HERE for deets.  You have until Midnight January 10th CST.

I'm also entering this in the ATC's and Cards With Attitude Happy New Year challenge,  the Simon Says Stamp and Show Embrace the Old challenge (numbers are cut with a very old Cuttlebug Alphabet), and Sparkle and Glitter with Rick St. Dennis New Beginnings Challenge (hopefully I can enter again with one of Rick's designs).

The Altered Alice We're All Mad Here

Welcome!  If you are looking for the Dia de Reyes Blog Hop, please scroll down.

 

`In THAT direction,' the Cat said, waving its right paw round, `lives a Hatter: and in THAT direction,' waving the other paw, `lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad.'

`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.

`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'

`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.

`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'

-- Chapter 6, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Etsy Store  Rick's Blog  Sparkle and Glitter Challenge Blog 

Facebook  Facebook Fan Page  Pinterest 

 

"We're all mad here" is the favorite Alice quote of artist Rick St. Dennis, so in January, anything goes! Be mad! Get cute, get creepy, get crazy, because Rick St. Dennis has amazing digi stamps in all those styles, including many wonderful AIW images! Submit your creations by Friday, January 25th for a chance to win three digital stamps from Rick St. Dennis. All projects are welcome, but those featuring Wonderland will have two chances at the prize instead of one. Multiple entries are welcome, but to be counted as separate entries they must be on separate posts.

Well, you just KNEW I'd go creepy, didn't you?  I mean who could resist Zombie Alice?  Poor dear had just about enough of this "You're late" stuff.  Too late for the White Rabbit, I'd say.  She's colored with Copics and seems to have made a mess of her frock.  The wave of expletives behind were computer generated  and just didn't do it for her so...  Obviously, not everyone is nice in Wonderland.

The teapot was cut on my Cricut from Ashlyn's Alphabet, shaded with Copics and is pouring out some madness by way of punch out letters from Graphic 45.

The smashed pocket watch is also Cricut, from Disney Classics, the face done with Utee over mirror card stock and then cracked.  Wouldn't be mine without Alpha Beads, eh?  So there you have it.  Madness reigns!  Be sure to visit The Altered Alice (probably later today as time means nothing to us in Wonderland) to see the gorgeous projects by my teamies and remember, madness there means Anything Goes this month.  We can't wait to see your creations.

El Dia de Reyes Blog Hop

Welcome to the 3rd annual Dia de Reyes Blog Hop. If you've come from Esther's Blog, you're on the right track but if you've happened here by chance, go back to Gaby's Blog and you'll learn something about this happy day as celebrated in Latin cultures and why this day is so very special to her.  I hear there may be some prizes, too.  (Just sayin'.) My original plan this year was to use a traditional image of the 3 Wise Men but when I saw this hilarious image We Three Geese by Rick St Dennis, I just couldn't resist.   I printed them several times, colored them with Copics and fussy cut and layered them inside a window created with my Nesties Labels 4.  The star was cut with my Cricut from Very Merry Tags.

I blinged them up (they're Kings, after all) with all sorts of adhesive gems and added peel off corners to the embossed top mat.  Kinda wonder what's in that bottle.  Frankincense and myrrh?  (BTW, my hubby bought some of that stuff and if you ask me, it's overrated but probably beats the heck out of stable smell.  LOL)  OOps, I digress.

I hope you find the sentiment humorous and not offensive.  Again, I couldn't resist.  I also hope my Spanish speaking viewers understand it.  Se dice "Toque la bocina si amas a Jesus". (Sorry I can't add the accent with my keyboard.) So off you go to Patty's Blog to see what wonderful project she has in store and in case you get lost, here's the entire blog line up.  Enjoy!

Gaby - www.gabycreates.com
Abby- www.scrapbookaholicbyabby.com
Ruthie - www.septemberninthdesigns.com
Esther - http://forthejoyofcreating.blogspot.com/
Donna Mundinger - http://donnamundinger-popsicletoes.blogspot.com/ You are HERE
Patty Tanúz - http://cardsbypattytanuz.blogspot.mx/
Yolie - http://www.justyolie.com