21st Century Pillow Book

Meet Liberty Betty!

2012-02-24T07:42:00.001-05:00

Hello! I have another project featuring one of the new Bettys from Simply B Stamps. Did you see my post yesterday? Betty is doing a very limited, 2 day release for the betty Series 2. You only have until today to snag these cuties in digi form. Then they will disappear until April, when they will be rereleased in rubber only. Plus, there is also a 30%off sale going on right now too! Visit the SBS Blog for all of the deets. But first, here’s Liberty Betty.

So first off, this is not a card. It’s a really big embellishment that I will eventually use on a scrapbook page. It’s really big! It’s almost 9” tall by over 4” wide. Being from New York , I immediately gravitated towards this Betty. I also used the newest Deconstructed Sketch, though I changed it up a wee bit.

I was worried at first about whether or not I could get the color of her dress correct, but luckily, I had a few Copics in my small arsenal that were just purrfect! And I thought that she just had to have red hair. It’s so stunning against that green!

I used Black Lightening Brilliance ink (which has a beautiful glimmer) for the “New York” and around a lot of my edges. I also used Mustard Seed Distress Ink along with a Crafter’s Workshop stencil for the stars behind Liberty Betty.

My “stamp” sticker is from Mrs. Grossman’s. and I thought it worked so well with this sketch and super huge embellishment I’ve made. Now I need to either find some of my NYC pictures, or just make a trip in! I think I’d rather just go in for a visit, since I haven’t been there in a while!

Please be sure to visit the SBS Blog for all of the info on this release, and on the sale. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

It’s a Surprise Betty Release!

2012-02-23T14:30:00.005-05:00

Surprise! Who wants to see some new Betty’s from Simply B Stamps? The 1st collection of Betty’s were so cool and popular, that Betty decided to come out with a second series. And, she decided to do a very special, very limited digi release! For today and tomorrow only, you can purchase and of the Series 2 Bettys as a digi. After that, they will not be available again until April, and can only be purchased in rubber. So if digis are your thing, snag ‘em quick! Today, I am sharing Bikini Betty with you.

With the weather we’ve been having, I feel like beach weather is almost here in NY! And I am thrilled about it! But how damn cute is this Betty? And I love her ducky!

I used watercolor markers and Copics for this sweetie. She was so much fun to color! I loved doing her hair.

My sentiment is from StampInsanity. The Series 2 Betty’s are available for $4.25 a digi. And, in case you didn’t know, there is a huge sale going on right now in the Simply B Shop! Today through Feb. 29th take 30% off any $25 or more purchase! Use Coupon code SpringCleaning! Use at simplybstamps.net. You cannot use the coupon code on the Series 2 Bettys though.
I’ll be back tomorrow with another project featuring one of these fabulous new Bettys. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!!!

Rise and Shine!

2012-02-21T07:43:00.010-05:00

Greetings, bloggy friends! I have a Bombshell Stamps card to share with you today. And it’s one of those cards that I just made to make it. No challenges, no requirements, nothing but me having fun. I used Rise and Shine, which is one of the newest sets for me.

I colored this pretty little Bombshell a couple of weeks ago, but nothing I paired with it was working for me. The today, inspiration struck and I assembled it pretty quickly.

I used a double whammy of watercolor markers and Copics for her. I used a bunch of scraps I had, and some cardboard that I embossed with green powder. I loved the texture on the cardboard and from the powder.

This was such a relaxing and fun card for me to make. I guess that Bombshell is sending off some good vibes! She was wonderful to color, and I can already envision what else I can do with her. Well, I’m off to create some more! Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

You’re Sweet!

2012-02-19T10:28:00.001-05:00

I made a simple little card for Gene for Valentine’s Day. I used one of the newest images from Strange Skin. You can find it in the new Sweet Treats collection. It’s a jelly roll…but I made it into more of a cake roll with the way I colored it.

I used my Copics and watercolor markers to color this yummy treat in. My sentiment is from Inkadinkado.

It’s a very basic card…but I like it. Yeah, I could add a bunch of things to it….but I think I like the simplicity of it. The sweet polka dots with the delicious looking cake. I think that’s all the card really needs!

Did you see my post from yesterday? I may have some wonderful blogs for you to check out. Take a look see and see if you know the 5 wonderful ladies I chatted about! Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Liebster Blog Award

2012-02-18T08:41:00.002-05:00

Saturday greetings! I was planning on sharing a card with you today, but instead, I have something that tugged on my heart strings a bit. My dear friend Alex gave me a blog award! How cool is that? I was so touched. It really makes you feel good when someone thinks all of the time an effort you put into your art is worth something. That it’s inspired them, made them giggle…or just made them feel…something.

Truth be told, I have not heard of this award before. But I am so glad I have now! Here are some more details on this award.
These awards give small bloggers with less than 200 followers some well deserved recognition for their creations. Here are the rules:
* Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
* Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
* Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
* Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed.
* Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog.
Here are my five, in no particular order…
1. Kelli –Cajun Stamping Queen- Oh Kelli, my Bestie… I love her so damn much. I have watched her grow and evolve…we have shared many a laugh, and a few tears. We have met in person! And this gal is uber talented. Not just with the crafts…but with cooking too! She has some damn good recipes on her blog! She is for sure out of the box, and she is just finding a beautiful niche for herself with altered tags. Watch the magic grow with me, and visit my girl Kelli.
2. Laura –Crafty Little Woman- Laura and I became friends back in the days of Twilight Tuesdays…when I first started my little bloggy. We have many things in common, and I am a big fan of her creations. She is a sweetheart. With a bit of a beautiful dark side that comes out in some of her work. She is wonderful.
3. Kathi –Kat’s Tales of Stamping and Scrapping- I think the only reason Kathi doesn’t have 1000 followers yet, is because she only just recently put up a follower box on her blog! Finally!!! Now all of you that know and love Kathi, go become a follwerer too! She is the Bombshell Stamps DT Coordinator Extraordinaire. And I think she freakin’ rocks. She has a great sense of humor, and her projects are funny , cool and always inspirational. One day Kathi, one day…we will finally meet!!!
4. Dianne –Spinnin’ Tails- Dianne and I were on the Smeared & Smudged DT together. She is uber talented, and is very cool. We have chatted quite a bit via email, and to be honest…it hasn’t been often enough for me. To be honest, she has hit some lows in the past year, and she needs us to help her up. Dianne, I hope you know that I am here for you. Always and anytime. Please visit her and spread some good cheer.
5. Lea –(th)INK Positive- Lea and I are on the Simply B DT together. I like to think our friendship is growing. She has a wicked good sense of humor, and by golly, this gal has talent! I love how she colors, and her paper combinations are always funky and cool. She’s a great woman that I look forward to getting to know better.
This is a great, and well-deserving group of 5 amazingly talented ladies! I do hope you will pay them a visit, become a follower, and show them some love!
I would like to thank Alex again for giving me this award. It means so very much to me. We all sometimes hit a point where we wonder if anyone is looking…if anyone notices…if anyone even remembers that we are here. Is my stuff still good? Is it still cool and relevant? You gave me the pick me up I needed, Alex. Thank you so very much!!!
Have an inspiring day…..

New DICC, Bombshell Challenge, and Scrappy Chick Sketch

2012-02-15T07:17:00.002-05:00

Hello! There are a couple of challenges going on that I’d love for you to play along with. The first is the new Desert Islands Crafters Challenge. The second is what would typically be the GDT Challenge from Bombshell Stamps, but Glittery Kate had to fill in for our original GDT’er. Last, but certainly not least, I used the latest Scrappy Chick Sketch.
This time the latest itinerary from DICC was created by our very own Taylor. Here it is:

Taylor's Itinerary

1. 2 or more patterned papers

2. stars

3. green

4. sparkle/bling

5. kraft

6. polka dots

7. twine

8. stitching (faux or real)

9. 2 or more die cuts

10. stickers

And this is Glittery Katie’s challenge:

“What goes through your mind when you think of love, maybe cherubs, chocolates music and whispering sweet nothings to your honey bun or perhaps something a little darker....broken hearts, tears and thoughts of sweet, sweet revenge
So here's my Valentine challenge to you this month, I want to see what's in your hearts the good AND the bad.
If you like sweet nothings- great but lets see a little bit of your dark side too!!!”

For the itinerary, I used #’s 1, 4, 5, and 6. And of course, I went with the naughtier side of Valentine’s Day!!!
Oh! And here is the link to Cyndi’s sketch. Click HERE for the sketch and deets!

I pulled out my markers once again for this card. I also used Pumice Stone Distress Inks for the edges.

I used watermark ink and then clear embossing powder for the background. I used Bombshell Stamps for the whole card of course, from the Bombshell Angel set and Man’s Ruin.
I do hope you will play along with at least one of these challenges! They were easy to combine! Please visit DICC, The Bombshell Blog, and The Scrappy Chick. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

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Simply B Challenges: Spritz, Paint & Mask

2012-02-14T07:18:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the newest Simply B Stamps challenge! This one was SO up my alley! I really hope you’ll play along. This month we challenge you to….

SPRITZ, MASK & PAINT

We want to see you get out your sprays, mists, masks or paints to make your project! Let's get messy!

Totally fun, right??? My fingers were pretty well inked by the time I finished this card. Just the way I like it! It makes me feel like I’ve really done something cool. And I hope you’ll agree!

I used the lovely Romance Grace from the Valentine Steampunk collection (not to bee confused with the Teen Scene Steampunk Valentine collection).

I colored her with watercolor markers and Copics…then I got inky. I dug out some Glimmer Screens and sprays from Tattered Angels, chalk, ink pads, and Stickles. Plus some pearls and cogs.

There are a ton of layers here…I hope you can see the image that I actually put on top of Grace. I used a compass with Walnut Gold Glimmer Mist. Subtle, but just what I needed to give the focal point a little extra oomph.

The banner and sentiment are also from Tattered Angels. I held my cogs on with Stickles. Please click on any of the photos to see it bigger. You miss some of the details with the pictures being tiny.
So, you want to play along, don’t cha??? I know you do! Head on over to the SBS Blog for all of the rules, and find out who our winners are from last month. Plus, you will also get to see what the rest of the DT created, which is always a treat! Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!!!

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This Blood’s for You: Day 3 of the S&S Bloody Valentine Hop

2012-02-12T08:09:00.001-05:00

It’s Day 3 of the Smeared & Smudged Bloody Valentine Hop. I’m sorry to say that it’s over already, as I was having a good time making a bit of a mockery of this silly holiday. But, have no fear! I may just have a few other anti-Valentines up my sleeve. If there’s time, of course.

So for today’s offering, I have card that features another Strange Skin image. I realized that I had never used this one before…and I don’t know why. Being a vampire fanatic and all. So this one was drawn by Jorge, and I really like it. Oh! And I used this month’s Very Sketch Challenge from S&S for the layout of the card.

This is the Fangtastic Vampire Girl. She’s sort of reminiscent of Strange Skin’s Cameos, which is why I am now totally nutty for her. Those Cameos are amazing.

This pic is a little out of focus, but at least you can basically see the coloring I did on her. I think. I actually used 10 markers to color her in, so I hope you can see the shading.

I did something new in Photoshop! All by myself! For those of you that really know me, this is truly a feat. I made my own sentiment!!! Go me!

I kept the sketch the same, except for turning it on it’s side and adding my faux staples, which I made with Liquid Pearls. I wanted real staples, but didn’t want to lif my patterned papers and risk ripping them…and I hate when you can see them on the inside of a card…so I opted for the Pearls.

So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed the Bloody Valentine Hop! Here is the full hop list. Please make sure to stop by and say hi to everyone. Thanks for popping in to say hello to me! Have an inspiring day!

Alison (me!)

S&S Bloody Valentine Hop: Day 2

2012-02-11T08:11:00.001-05:00

Welcome, welcome! It’s Day 2 of 3 for the Smeared & Smudged Bloody Valentine Hop. I personally hate Valentine’s Day. I think it’s a bullshit holiday, so I normally avoid it as much as possible. Now that I have kids, I need to pretend to be “in the spirit,” but, you’ll probably still catch me in green that day. ;)

Even with my distaste for V-Day, I do enjoy making cards for it. Any excuse to make a card, I guess! Here I used a Simply B Stamps image. This is a zombie Betty…which I think was available on the PCP group. I had the perfect sentiment in my head for her….

Isn’t she fab? I love how voluptuous she is! My sentiment (which I created using a Just Rite alpha stamper), reads: “I love you more than zombies love brains” and I added a “xoxo.”

So I colored my zombie with my markers, and then….I chalked over her completely. I know, I know…that scares some of you. To work so hard on coloring, to then basically hide all of the details with chalk??? But the effect was just what I needed! It made her look perfectly grungy.

I used a single spritz of Candy Apply Red Glimmer Mist (stirred, not shaken), and a mess of ink colors for a bit more distressing. I also inked up my lil’ button heart. I do wish I had a stamp of a brain though. That really would have completed this card perfectly… I may have to go on a quest.

And now it’s time for you to hop along t the rest of the Bloody Valentine Bloggers. The complete list is below. Thanks for stopping by! Have an inspiring day!

Alison (me!)

Birthday Teens Release Day and Day 1 of S&S’s Bloody Valentine Hop

2012-02-10T07:38:00.001-05:00

It’s a big day today! Not only is the Simply B Stamps Birthday Teen collection finally getting released for your retail thereputical pleasure, but it’s also Day 1 of the Smeared & Smudged Bloody Valentine Hop. Let’s start with the SBS release, as I can’t wait any longer to show it to you!

It’s Lily Munster! It’s Betty as Lily Munster! Call her whatever you want, she’s awesome!!!I love, love, love everything about this image. Coloring her was a blast! And have I mentioned how I want to own that dress for myself?!

This photo shows the colors closer to what they are in real life. You can see I used my dynamic duo of markers (watercolors and Copics), along with a bit of chalk for the edges. I also used chalk (and Martha Stewart cupcake stencils) for my background.

I broke out one of my favorite punches (gotta love spiderwebs…even if I don’t love spiders!), and I used a sentiment from Create with TLC. Don’t you just love her…and really this entire collection? If you’ve missed any of the images, I’ve been previewing them all week, so feel free to check out my older posts.

And now, on to the Bloody Valentine Hop! This is a 3 Day hop, meaning, that for the next 3 days, each of the bloggers in the hop will have a new project! A new, bloody Valentine project! For my first, I started off with an image from Strange Skin. The image is from the Conversation Hearts collection.

I made a bloody, goopy, heart pin! I printed the image on to cardstock, colored it with watercolor markers (using shades of red and a blue), and then I used a shit-ton of Glossy Accents on top. But I made sure to not cover it completely, or evenly. I wanted it a bit drippy.

Look at that delicious shine! I then attached the heart to chipboard and added a pin back. Ready to wear!!!

Now off with you! Off you go (after you leave me some love!). Pop on over to the SBS Blog to see what the rest of the gals dreamed up for Betty Munster. And below is the entire hop list for the S&S Bloody Valentine Hop. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Alison (me!)

Chris Munster

2012-02-09T08:07:00.001-05:00

Greetings! How fantabulous was Rio’s surprise Birthday Hop yesterday? I thought it was awesome! Well, today, we have another preview for the Teen Scene Birthday collection from Simply B Stamps. Only 1 day away from when you can purchase these babies for yourself! Say hello to Chris Munster!

Chris is named after Betty’s husband. It was time he got his own character wasn’t it? And he fits right in to this collection, with that Munster flair!

I used a lot of Copics on this one, and only a few watercolor markers. I also used chalk on the background of the image to tone down the white.

And I broke out the icky spider paper. Blech! But I needed to use it, since it went so well with his gift bag. The sentiment (which I repeated), is from Technique Tuesday.

I am so excited for tomorrow’s image!!! She is SO cool! Can you guess what she looks like??? You are going to love her! But, while you count down the hours until tomorrow’s release, why not visit the SBS Blog to see what the rest of the DT created with Chris Munster. Thanks for stopping by, Have an inspiring day!

Happy Birthday Rio!!!

2012-02-08T07:05:00.001-05:00

It’s Miss Rio’s Birthday today! So we gals of Simply B Stamps are having a special Birthday Blog Hop for her, and the adorable new Birthday Princess Rio image from the new Teen Scene Birthday collection. As with the entire set, I love this image, and I made sure it was super colorful for the lovely Miss Rio.

Can’t get more colorful than this!!! I just loved coloring this image. Her fab skirt, those big presents, and I always enjoy trying new ways to color glasses.

I used watercolor markers for the entire image, except for her hair and skin. They were done with Copics. Oh, and I added a couple of touches with a Ranger white pen (on her glasses) and a wee bit of Sakura’s Stardust pens.

Here you can see the way I tinted and highlighted her specs, and some pretty sparklies from the Stardust pens. I always make sure to color the skin and eyes, and then go back with a pale shade, over the glasses to tint them.

I used some super happy papers and ribbon. This really reminds me very much of Miss Rio. And I do hope she likes what I’ve made! Here is the entire hop list. Be sure to visit everyone, and leave them some love!

Alison (me!)

Happy Birthday, sweet Rio! I hope your day is pure magic!

Miller Munster Loves His Cake!

2012-02-07T07:46:00.001-05:00

Who doesn’t love cake? I mean really? I have a friend who claims to not like cake much, but I have made several that she has sufficiently drooled over. But Miller Munster, from the new Birthday Teens collection from Simply B Stamps, well….he loves his cake. He goes back for thirds! Take a look.

He is enjoying it so much! Mmmmm….now I want some cake too.

I used a bunch of watercolor markers and Copics for this image. I must say, I really love this collection because of the Munster references. I adore that show! Where else have you seen Munster images??? No where! So I’m sure that if you’re a fan like me, you’ll want to scoop these up at the end of the week!

I always color my images first, then pick out my paper. I chose some great papers that really bring out the colors in the cake. So what do you think of this latest release? I think it’s awesome! Please go and visit the rest of the DT now via the SBS Blog. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Party with London!

2012-02-06T07:21:00.001-05:00

Hello! Welcome to Day 3 of the new Simply B Stamps Teen Scene Birthday preview! In case you were wondering, yesterday I didn’t have a post for Lola, because I got to have a special sneaky peek preview on the 1st. Visit HERE to see that post. Now, on to London and her purrr-dy kitty!

Look at all of that confetti! She sure is ready to celebrate!!! Rhiannon loves this card, so I think I may need to just give it to her. She loves the cat, the glitter (which is visible in another pic), and the floofy trim I used. And of course the pink rhinestones!

I used my watercolor markers and Copics for this image. And Stickles on the confetti. Isn’t this a great collection?!

There’s also glitter on the top cardstock. My sweet sentiment is from Create with TLC. This image will be great for so much more than just birthdays. I know you can come up with many uses for it!

So why not head on over to the Simply B Stamps Blog to see what the rest of the DT has created? We’ll be previewing another fab image tomorrow, and I know you won’t want to miss it. Thanks for stopping by today. Have an inspiring day!

It’s Party Time!

2012-02-04T09:23:00.001-05:00

It’s time for another awesome release from Simply B Stamps! This time, it’s all about partying. You are going to love this new collection. It can be used all year long, for anyone. Let’s get this party started!

This is Pugsley Christian. Yup, Pugsley. That’s a little hint for the end of the week. ;) He is all ready to go to a part. He even brought a cupcake!

I used my now-typical combo of watercolor markers and Copics. I picked out some fun paper scraps, added a sentiment, and a few cabochons with Stickles.

Can I just say that I want that balloon? It’s so cool! And, I wish I was going to the party too! Well, by the end of the week, you’ll probably feel like you were at a party with this new collection of images. So why not pop over at the Simply B Stamps Blog to see what the rest of the DT has been up to? Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Strange Skin New Release Blog Hop!

2012-02-02T07:23:00.001-05:00

It’s been quite a while since the dynamic duo (Pam and Jorge) of Strange Skin released some new images. But boy, has it been worth the wait! Today they are release 4, yes FOUR new sets that are all going to help you get your freak on. They’ve got something for everyone with this release, even if having a bit of the creep factor isn’t your thing. And trust me when I tell you, no one has images like these!

We have one heck of a hop for you today. There are gals from all different circles, using all different styles. And you are sure to love everything you see. The hop will of course start at Pam’s Blog, so if you haven’t gone there, please head on back to check her her. The complete blog roll is below. And to shop the new images, visit their Etsy shop HERE. And don’t forget!!! Today is the last day that you can get ANY of their original digis for half price! Yup! 50% off of their original sets. The new release items from today are not included in the sale.

I’ve made 2 cards for today’s hop. One cute, and the other creepy. Let’s start with the cute.

This is from the Wonderland Souvenirs collection. It’s inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and I just love it! This set is awesome!!!

Look at all of those fabulous tea cups! And that cute little mouse! I had so much fun coloring everything in. I wanted the tea cups to be totally mismatched…and well, they are!

I also used some mismatched paper, to add to the quirkiness of the image. How great would this be for an invitation to an afternoon tea party?

On to the creepy…I used the Ladybug from the Bugs collection for this one.

The photos show the card a little bit brighter than what they are in real life, but you get the idea… I made the ladybug really big, and colored it in with my watercolor markers. I went to town on the card base by inking, spraying and chalking on some bugs from a Martha Stewart stencil.

I tore up some kraft paper and inked the heck out of that too. But it needed something else…a little texture. So I added some clear microbeads to 2 corners of the card and a bit in the center.

I hope you can see them! If you click on this or any of my other pictures, you can see it bigger.It was just what the card needed. A little bit of…”Ewww…what is that?'”

Here are the watermarked images for all of the new sets.

“Bugs”

“Heartbreakers Gang”

“Sweets”

“Wonderland Souvenirs”

You’ll be seeing me use a lot of these in the very near future! Aren’t they fabulous??? Now, one lucky commenter will win 2 free digis from this release (Pam’s choice)! So be sure to visit everyone in the hop, and leave us all some love…because that’s how you’ll get entered into the drawing! She will have a post on her blog in a couple of days announcing the winner. So it’s time to get hopping!!!

Here's the blog roll:

Pamela: http://pamdabearshares.blogspot.com/

Alison: http://alisonsrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/ (me!)

Kelli: http://cajunstampingqueen.blogspot.com/

Lady Brayton: http://ladybrayton71.blogspot.com/

Jane: http://jcocraft.blogspot.com/

Alex: http://paperandstring.blogspot.com/

Cheryl: http://www.inktrap.blogspot.com/

Black Dragon: http://lynsblogger.blogspot.com/

Sara: http://welcometomydarkside.blogspot.com/

Ike: http://suzy-ikesworld.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy the hop. Be sure to also visit the Strange Skin shop to snag these babies for yourself! And make sure you let us know when you use them! We’d love to see your creations. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!!!

Happy February! New DICC Challenge

2012-02-01T07:27:00.001-05:00

Happy February! And, Happy Birthday to Desert Islands Crafters Challenge! We’ve been at it for a whole year now, and it’s been a lot of fun! In honor of DICC’s birthday, we decided to go with a birthday themed itinerary, created by our very own Leila.

1) Birthday
2) Balloons
3) Cake
4) Presents
5) Confetti
6) Party Hat
7) Birthday Sentiment
8) Candles
9) Cupcake
10) Bright Colors

As always, you need to use at least 3 items from the itinerary. I used #’s 1, 2, 5, and 10. What’s more, is that I have a very special sneak peek for you! I get to share the newest version of Lola, from Simply B Stamps. She is from the new Birthday Teens collection, which we will officially start to preview on February 4th. I love every incarnation of Lola, but this one is for sure one of my favorites!!!

How joyful is she!? And adorable! I love her balloons, her sweet face, her plaid skirt. And coloring her was a ton of fun too!

I used watercolor markers for her, and a little chalk for the background. You can see that I embossed confetti by using a Fiskars texture plate, and I applied chalk to that as well.

My sweet sentiment, “a card to give you a little lift,” is from Create with TLC. They have beautiful sentiments and images, and many of them are free! I encourage you to check them out. It’s a wonderful blog.

So there you go. Happy Birthday to DICC! Please be sure to check out the rest of the creations made by the DT on the DICC Blog. And if you would, please visit the Bombshell Blog today for my February Hump Day Hop theme! Stop by here tomorrow, because there is going to be a Strange Skin Blog Hop! You won’t wanna miss this hop!!! We have a crazy cool group debuting some of their newest images. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

2012-01-31T10:57:00.001-05:00

Greetings! It’s time for a new Beyond the Burtonesque Dolls challenge! This time, we are asking you to take a favorite fairy tail, and turn it into a scary tales! Create your own dark version of your favorite Fairy Tale! I chose to work with Little Red Riding Hood. I worked with Emma, who is from the Simply B Stamps Original Steampunks collection.

She’s not afraid of a little wolf! I’m afraid to see what the wolf looks like now…Look! There’s blood on her hands and mouth!

I colored Red with a combo of Copics and watercolor markers. I cut her out and mounted her on to some Kraft cardstock that I had stenciled with blood splatter (from Martha Stewart’s cupcake decorating stencils), and Distress Ink. I added a few touches of white to the blood, and I made my sentiment (Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf) using a JustRite stamper.

I got a giggle out of this one. Again, it feels so good to be creepy! And I loved coloring this image. Little Red Riding Hood kicked that wolf’s a**!

So head on over to the Beyond the Burtonesque Dolls Blog to see some more Scary Tales! And then, join in and play! Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

12 Months of Halloween: January

2012-01-28T08:14:00.001-05:00

Hello my spooktacular friends! Simply B Stamps has a new, monthly challenge for you! It’s the 12 Months of Halloween! Every month on the 28th, we will have a new challenge for you.

“We have a fun and simple little challenge for you today!

Our challenge is Monochromatic and one Halloween color! All you have to do is create a black and white Monochromatic project and throw in one other Halloween color; Orange, Lime Green, Purple, or any other one color you would deem SPooKy!

One lucky winner will be deemed Halloween Queen of the Month! As Halloween Queen of the Month, you will get a digi to work with, a badge, and be the star of our next Halloween challenge! Sounds like fun right? SO let's get those Halloween stamps, papers, and embellishments out and get to crafting!”

For this project, I chose to work with Lavinia Portrait. This image was drawn by the same artist that does those insanely amazing Steampunks that I am nutty about. This image is just stunning.

Isn’t she gorgeous? I decided to work with green, and go with a subtle, creepy Halloween card. I colored this amazing image in with my watercolor markers and Copics. Here’s a closer look.

You can click on this, or any other image, to see it bigger. Not to toot my own horn (much) but I LOVE how this card turned out. I may actually frame it!

Here’s an even closer look, so that you can really see the shading, and gradations of color.

Did you notice my background? I made it using a beautiful stencil from Dreamweavers. I used black chalk for it, and i think it is the perfect background for Lavinia.

I just love that stencil! Damask always catches my eye, but this particular pattern is especially beautiful. I distressed the edges of my grey cardstock, and added a few simple, black cabochons. This focal image and background say enough on their own.

I really hope you will play along with this challenge! It certainly is a fun one! Hop on over to the SBS Blog to see what the rest of the DT has created.

A side note. As I mentioned yesterday, Strange Skin is having a sale on all of their digis. They are currently 50% off! Please click HERE to see all of the images. There are more details in my post from yesterday, so feel free to take a peek.

Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Strange Skin Sale!

2012-01-27T10:35:00.001-05:00

Greetings fellow crafters! I am excited to not only share a new card with you, but to also let you know about a fantabulous sale that’s going on! Strange Skin is having a 50% off sale on ALL of their digis!!! From now until February 2nd! You’ve gotta go to their Etsy shop for this sale, so click HERE! This is a seriously crazy deal. And to get you in a Strange Skin kinda mood…here is my latest creation.

This is from the Sweet & Spicy Hearts collection. I love this heart! Now, the collections are what’s posted on Esty, but if you convo Pam, you can get any single image you want….yes, at the 50% off price as well! But at half price, why not just snag the whole collection?

I used my watercolor markers and 1 green Copic to color this image in. I kept the card simple, as I wanted the heart to really take center stage.

Wanna see some more of my Strange Skin Creations?

This is my favorite image of theirs, and probably my favorite card that I’ve made with their stuff. This is the Bride of Frankenstein Cameo. The Cameos are easily their most popular collection.

This is a pendant I made with a domino, using their Grave Hands image.

Here is of Course, Freddy, from their Famous Monsters 3 collection.

This lovely key is from the Keys to my Heart collection. I adore this key!!!

Not only is Strange Skin having this awesome sale, but on February 1st, there will be several new collections available too! Now, these new images will NOT be on sale, but I am sure you’re going to want to snag some of them, as they are so unique! That’s one of the best things about Strange Skin, they have images you will never find anywhere else!!!

Soon I will have a preview from one of the new collections, so please be on the lookout! Happy shopping!!! Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Ring in the New: Bombshell Stamps January Hump Day Hop!

2012-01-25T07:11:00.001-05:00

Happy Hump Day! The last Wednesday of the month is one of my favorite days of every month. Why? Because that means it’s time for the Bombshell Stamps Hump Day Hop! This month I challenged the players to “Ring in the New!” Meaning, they had to have or do something new with their project. A new technique, use a new image, try a new product. It left things very open and I think, very exciting!

I was super inspirited by Bombshell Alaine’s latest tutorial. Check it out in all of it’s awesomeness HERE. As soon as I saw it, I knew that was what I was going to do for my project. So I Pinned it so that I could easily go back to it later. I also used this month’s sketch challenge which you can see HERE. So without any further adieu, here’s what I came up with.

I loved this technique! I used images from Speed Shop, and I think they are such a great choice for doing this type of coloring. I actually have the other car in this set colored up already too! I will reveal it at a later date. ;)

In comparing mine to Alaine’s, I probably should have let more of the black show through. But I still like it. It’s hard to tell, but the chrome was colored with a metallic pencil, so it’s uber shiny.

I changes Kathi’s sketch around just a wee bit….but I know she won’t mind! I was so stoked to realize that I had cardstock from DCWV that perfectly matched my car! I couldn’t believe it! I always color first, then match paper later.

So now I send you off. Off to my dear friend Laura’s blog, where you are sure to see something fabulous. I hope that, if you didn’t get to hop with us this month, you will next month! We would love to have you. Thank you so much for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Bombshell Blog: http://bombshellstamps.blogspot.com/
Alison: http://alisonsrandomthoughts.blogspot.com (me!)
Laura: http://craftylittlewoman.blogspot.com/
Alaine: http://missalaineousmosaics.blogspot.com/
Sparkly Mary: http://sparkly-train.blogspot.com
Meredith: www.papercanteen.com
Cheryl: http://inktrap.blogspot.com
Paula: http://heyheypaula-heyheypaula.blogspot.com/
Kelli: http://www.cajunstampingqueen.blogspot.com
Stempelientje: http://stempelientje.blogspot.com/
Glittery Katie: http://ferrishyn-frontier.blogspot.com
Kathi: http://kathstales.blogspot.com

Rock Goddess

2012-01-24T07:16:00.001-05:00

Greetings! I have a card to share with you that I am entering in the latest Kenny K, Smudgy Antics and Paper Creations Ink challenges. Kenny K’s challenge is to “Bling it On,” while at Smudgy Antics, it’s “Tall, Dark & Gruesome.” Lastly, at Paper Creations Ink it’s Love/Romance. Ok…well Star from Kenny K may not be gruesome, but she’s tall (when she’s standing) and has dark hair.

Hmmm…maybe she IS gruesome…could she be hiding her fangs behind her arm? It’s possible… But it IS clear that she has a “love” for her guitar…so I think she fits into the PCI challenge.

I colored Star in with my watercolor markers and Copics. I also used some Sakura Star Dust pens as eyeliner and for her laces.

See the sparkly? That, along with the rhinestones add to the “Bling it On” challenge. The star stamp is from Inkadinkado.

And of course I wanted to get some Smeared Ink stamps on here as well, so the “Goddess” and the barbed wire are both from SI.

I hope you’ll stop by tomorrow, because it’s time for the Bombshell Stamps Hump Day Hop! I chose a fun challenge for the participants (at least, I thought it was fun!), so I do hope you’ll hop along with us. Thanks for stopping by today. Have an inspiring day!

rawr.

2012-01-22T15:02:00.001-05:00

This is kind of a late posting for me, but I really, really wanted to play along with this week’s Haunted Design House challenge (“Chic Freaks”), and I’m almost outta time! Plus, it’s been waaaaay too long since I made something creepy. So I pulled out my Smeared Ink stamps and went to work.

I started off by coloring in 2 of the Glam Vamps (because really, who’s more chic than these two?). I colored them with my “triple threat cocktail” (hmmm… I may need to coin that phrase!) of pencils, watercolor markers and Copics. Here’s a closer look.

I mounted these sinister sisters on to a olive green cardstock that I stamped and embossed the skull from Quoth the Raven. Added a few spritzes of Candy Apple Red Glimmer Mist and “rawr.” from the Creepy Lil Grumpies set.

It feels good to get my creep on again! I need to keep going with this….more of the goth, right? Hopefully this week there will be more. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

It’s the Playtime Release Day!

2012-01-20T07:15:00.001-05:00

Hello Bloggy friends! It’s release day for the Simply B Stamps new Jude and the Rockers Collection: Playtime. I love this collection, as I’ve said all week. Today we are featuring Beep Beep Jude. And he is for sure, one of my faves of the set. You should have started this hop at the SBS Blog, so if you haven’t, please go back there to start at the beginning. Before I share my project with you, I wanted to share Phoenix’s. when he saw this image, e just had to color it in for himself! And, he wanted to make me a card with him. Why? Because this image reminded him so much of himself!

He is stoked to be on my blog again! He’s so proud of himself, and so am I. Usually you see these cars in red and yellow, right? well, at Phoenix’s school, they have those, but they also have a yellow and teal one, which Phoenix prefers.

I love how he colored Jude! Now, here’s my project.

There’s Phoenix in the car at school! If he’s outside, then he is often seen driving this car. None of the others, just this one. Why? Because he loves teal. What other 5 year old knows what teal is? That’s my boy!!!

I used watercolor markers and Copics for the image of Jude.Isn’t he a cutie?

It may be hard to see if the pic is small (by clicking on any of them, you can see it bigger), but I added some glossy accents and clear microbeads in assorted places from some added points of interest and texture. I also embossed my title. This was a ful page to make (but…aren’t they all?)! Now it’s almost time for you to keep hopping! First, here's the full hop list:

You start at the SBS blog

Alison (me!)

and end back at SBS again!

Before you get to hopping along and seeing all the fun the DT has created for you let me share some deals and two new surprise Bettys with you!

Just Betty

Just Betty is here just for fun! Waving hello to the stamping world! Isn't she just the cutest!

Next up Scrapbooking Betty!

She is ready for that crop night! Look at all her awesome little tools!!

Don’t you love them? Get all the details on how they can be yours at the SBS blog. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Cookin’ Up Fun!

2012-01-19T07:41:00.001-05:00

Hello! We are nearing the end of the Simply B Stamps preview of the new Jude and the Rockers Playtime Collection. I hope you are enjoying this set as much as I am. It’s gotten me scrappin’ again, which I have been wanting to do so badly. Today, we are sharing Tea Time Lily.

My kids LOVE to pretend to cook. What kid doesn’t? So I snapped these pictures a few months ago while they were playing. I thought these photos were perfect with Lily.

I colored Lily in with my watercolor markers and my Copics. Look at that yummy cake she’s got! I coordinated her to what Rhiannon is wearing in the photos. And made her tablecloth blue to match my kids’ table.

It’s a simple layout, but the business of the photos and the bold colors of the paper were enough to me. No real need for embellishments beyond Lily. So why don’t you head off now to the SBS Blog to see what the rest of the Design Team has “cooked up” for you! Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!