Smeared and Smudged April Fool's Surprise Blog Hop!!

Happy April Fool's Day Everyone!!! I'm SO thrilled to be here hopping with the gals on the Smeared and Smudged network!!!

Today I recreated a wreath in similar fashion to one that I made in this post. However, THIS one was done in the S&S way!!!
My thoughtful Brother In Law got me THIS book after I'd made a comment about his and how cool the pages would be as DP.

So instead of this being a nice, crisp, light looking Literary Wreath, this one is grungy, scary and creepy. NICE!I started with a 4" foam wreath or ring. I used LOTS of hot glue, tearing pages and either rolling them, fan folding them, "s" folding them, any way I could think and adhered each piece one by one. (really look at the pages if you have time....there's lots of creepiness goin' on!!!)
I then set to embellishing my wreath. I used an OLDDDDDDDD Inkadinkado bug set from maybe 18 years ago! ( lol! ) I stamped, colored and punched out an assorted array of bugs, attached them to straight stick pins whose tops I bent and littered the wreath with these pins.

I then showed it to my Gorgeous Hubby while he was doing laundry in the basement. He looked at it and initially gave it a WOW...and then studied it. I grabbed a hand of rusty bolts from a jar on his workbench and he said yes...they need to come out to look 3-D. He's always amazing as an outside eye for me. I used giant needles used for...yarn sewing? Latch hook? I don't know but I've had them for as long as I can remember in my sewing kit and have NEVER used them. And I knew that they'd be strong enough to hold the bolts with hot glue.

I did the same thing with the bolts as I did for the bugs. I found their homes, some on pins and some just randomly placed in shallower spots.
I let everything rest and really harden and then I took a thick hair elastic, hot glued it to the back (as a hanger), and glued a pretty piece of 1" wide green grosgrain ribbon to cover 60% of the elastic band. (otherwise it looks like a tangly mess of hotglue - not pretty).
I let that dry for a few and then took pics!! And it already has a home in my living room!!!
I hope you are inspired and SURPRISED by my April Fool's Day creation!!!

Here is the entire list of fab hoppers today so PLEASE leave love and kisses for all of their hard work and gorgeous inspiration!

Alison
Kelli
Meredith
Michelle
Kathi
Kim
Lisa
Danielle
Alex
Jean
Monica
Sarah
Erica
Black Dragon
Kymberly
Steph
Lady Brayton
Barb

Terra


Thanks for hopping today!!

March Bombshell Challenge - "Booty Log"

Hello Everyone and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Today, I am showing off an altered composition notebook that I made using this month's Bombshell Stamp Challenge!

The challenge is as follows and is posted in The Casino on their forum as posted by the lovely Ms. March:

"My challenge is for you to create a "Booty Log". In the papercrafting world this translates to an altered book of some kind. It can be a journal, notebook, diary, really any type of book you wish! I finally finished my Copic Marker technique Journal. There is a close up image in the gallery."

This is what I created!!

I started with a standard, old school, Composition Notebook in green. How perfect for the month of March?!

I collected my papers, scraps, etc and simply started layering. I started with minimal planning (which is usually how I start creating) and just let the book take it's shape.

I used the hottie from the "Bombshell Angel" set as my focal point on the cover. I just LOVE her! She's stamped in SU! Basic Black ink and heat embossed with clear powder and colored with my Copics. I used my silver-ish Sakura gel pen to make it look like she has super sparkly stockings on. Her adorable outfit is colored and then gone over with my Versamark pen and heat embossed making it super shiny. Embossing just adds so much dimension to an image sometimes =)
I then stamped RETRO on a snippet of DP and layered it on Kraft, Ivory and then Kraft again and popped it up on 3-D foam adhesive.
The trio of stamps key, heart and star are all from the same "Bombshell Angel" set. I put them together on an acrylic block and created a border of sorts with them.
I added some green Swiss dot ribbon, stitched down and embellished with a bit of tan, linen twine. I've added staples and attacked it with a sanding block to grunge it up a bit.
I created one tab and then covered the interior cover both as function and decorative elements. I'm going to see if my darling friend wants to use this for a guest book at another friend's 50th surprise birthday party!
Thank you for visiting today and definitely check out the entire Bombshell line...it's ridiculously fabulous beyond belief!

I'm a JADS Girl!!!

Happy Sunday Everyone!! I've been bursting to tell you all this news and have just been waiting for THE right time!! A few weeks ago the fabulous Heather contacted me from Jean's Art Dolls asking if I'd like to join the team!! I immediately said YES!!!

It's different than any other company or group that I work for and/or participate in. JADS is a self-motivated, self-challenging, forum style group that brings together eclectic, sassy, and FAB.U.LOUS artists to share ideas, projects, tips, tricks, tutorials, etc!! I was over the moon that both Jean and Heather considered me to be close to some of these things enough to extend me an invitation to join!! I was SO excited!! YAY!!

At JADS we set our own monthly challenges. This particular challenge that I set was a color challenge. I set it for Turquoise, Poppy and Champagne colors with a mix of any other browns within the creation.

And because I was creating for JADS...I just let totally loose on this piece. It's completely Mixed Media using stamps, rub-ons, ink, staples, markers, labels from clothing that I had in my stash, notebook paper trimmings, and much more!!!

Here is my very first creation for JADS!! I hope you enjoy!!

The base for this creation was purchased at ACM (A.C. Moore). It's an oversized wooden tag that was on the clearance rack from Valentine's Day. I started with my base. I used my kissy lips stamp from The Paper Source to create my background paper. I used both my Champagne and White Brilliance Pearlescent craft ink pads to stamp and then clear embossing powder to heat set the lips for the background. The paper is SU! River Rock textured cardstock. I did the entire sheet of 12x12 cardstock and trimmed it out to fit my tag background. I adhered it to my tag, popping out the holes for my ribbon and brads to be added later.
I then went through my stamps and decided that I wanted to use this "Cheshire-esque" looking cat stamp that I have. (Alice is super hot right now - what with the new movie and all) So I sat back and thought...what else can I add...hmmm...based on the size of the tag, the cat stamp was too small to be the main focal point of the piece.

Then I remembered the photos I had downloaded, of Michelle Pfeiffer as Cat Woman from the second 'original' Batman series (from the 80's and 90's) for something entirely different. I printed one of my favorite photos of her out and decided that THAT would be my focal point.

I went through my stash of DP and pulled out this wild Basic Grey paper. I trimmed out the photo, and just before I attached it to the background I grabbed a slice of my Hambly Acrylic paper with birdcages (those of you who have seen this movie will understand the reference;), and I laid it over the photo. I then attached the 2 pieces to the BG paper which I had edge distressed, and matted on SU! Tempting Turquoise and PTI's Pure Poppy cardstock.

I then added this panel to my main background on the tag. I then looked around my desk and grabbed a piece of notebook fringe edge that I'd used for another project and tucked that right above the main panel. I also added a strip of rhinestones along the bottom.

I used my Love, Elsie rub-ons that I've had for eons for the heart, dots, X's and stars. I then stamped my Cheshire-esque kitty to the mix after stamping, heat setting, coloring and trimming him out. He's mounted atop a scrap of the PTI PP cardstock adorned with colored staples. I added a safety pin and Phillips head screw brads for some added grunge elements.I had a tag from something I'd purchased at my local boutique that I knew I'd use at some point. I trimmed it out, distressed it and backed it with a scrap of the SU! TT cardstock. It's M is emblazoned with gold and then flocked all around. The rivet behind it is also from the tag. I trimmed it out and distressed it as well.
I used my QKD stamp from the March Alice release as my sentiment "All Ways Here Are MY Ways". Love that saying!! Stamped on a piece of the same Basic Grey DP that my main panel is matted with.

I then added my hand-stamped and sewn (by me) ribbon for the tag which I'd used in another project. As a very last touch I added the tiny ballerina girl to the bottom right of the tag. Everything else about the piece is so....opposite of the ballerina girl that I couldn't help but add her to display the obvious juxtaposition of the two! I am honored to be a JADS girl and I hope you have enjoyed my altered art for today!!!