A Touch of Darkness at Aurora Wings

This is a very busy Monday for me! I'm so excited about the new Challenge at Aurora Wings with the exciting theme of

  

I've chosen to alter a bottle that originally looked like this.  Fortunately, the wine is yumbo, 'cause I really, really REALLY love the bottle.  However, the writing both back and front has to be scraped off with a razor before altering.
Bummer!

Then I colored the gorgeous dark mermaid, Secret Kiss, with Copics cut her out with a Spellbinders Grand Oval and Mod Podged her to the bottle.  I used the gloss variety, since the bottle was glossy, and kept adding layers until the finish was very smooth.

Didn't quite know how to age the bottle, but tried some Rock Candy Crackle paint.  Seemed like the bottle of paint was too small to paint my whole bottle so I didn't try to cover it all.  Unfortunately, I didn't apply it thick enough to get the large crackle I was going for, and it kind of looked frosty, so I took alcohol inks and ran them down the bottle, diluting them in places with Copic blender.

I used Glossy Accents around the image and sprinkled on mica flakes.  Then set about creating the rest of the scene, ripping cheesecloth and finding shells and other bits and bobs. 

I colored reindeer moss with Distress re-inkers,  added a skull and applied crackle to a tiny bottle and rolled up a message inside.  Found some lichen I'd saved which looked to me like under sea plants as well.

I draped a chain around the neck of the bottle and added a compass.  Finally, I stuffed more moss into the top and glued on a shell stopper that I'd painted, and sprinkled with mica flakes and added the bottom leg bones and foot coming out of the opening in the shell.  (hee hee!)  I don't often do projects like this because I'm way to impatient to wait for things to dry, but I gotta say, after some tense moments, I really love how it came out.  

Now, please visit the Aurora Wings Challenge Blog to see the fabulously dark and gorgeous projects by my DT Sisters and don't forget to scroll down to see the winners from Challenge #6. Also, our September FB Challenge, which runs through September 30th is Anything Goes, so be sure to enter both challenges, if appropriate.  I hope you're inspired to channel your dark side.

I'm adding this to the Punk You Girl What Creeps Under The Sea Challenge,  Left of Center No Designer Paper, 613 Avenue Create ATG, ALBC Distress It, Altered Eclectics September ATG (mixed media), The Mirror Cracked (first challenge, WOOHOO!) ATG Mixed Media, All Crafts Aug/Sept Challenge, and Simon Says Monday Rock the Techniques.