Are You Ready?!

Hello, all! Tomorrow is the first of October and the first day of the 31 Days of Halloween over at Smeared and Smudged! So I will be posting one Halloween project every day for the 31 days of October. There may may be two posts from me on certain days because of this. I have a blog roll of all the participants on my side bar to the right, so that you can visit, play along, or lurk! There are several ways to participate in the 31 Days of Halloween. Here is a list:

Wicked Blogger (If you haven't signed up for this by now, you can still participate by being a Horrifying Hopper or Sinister Lurker)

What You Have To Do:

Wicked Bloggers sign up to make and post one Halloween or Day of the Dead project for each and every day in October. Sign up begins on August 17, 2011 and ends on September 20, 2011. To sign up, add your NAME and BLOG ADDRESS to a comment under this post by September 20, 2011. All Wicked Bloggers will receive a Survival Button at the end of the month to proudly post on their blog.

The Rules:

Wicked Bloggers must post one project each day in October on their blog by 9AM Pacific time in order to qualify for the grand prize drawing. The project must be handmade and stamped with either a rubber or digi stamp. This year we are allowing all digital projects as long as they are the bloggers original digital art.

Wicked Blogger projects must be "new" in that they can't have been posted anywhere before, including on your own blog, other blogs, forums, or other websites. In other words, no re-using previous projects. Bloggers are allowed to combine projects to fit into other scheduled postings; for instance, if you have to post a DT project that day or are following other challenge criteria, if you make your other-scheduled project Halloween themed, it can count for 31 Days as well. However, if you do not make it Halloween or Day of the Dead themed, you will need a separate post for 31 Days.

Bloggers must also post the Wicked Blog list with links to all participating blogs in either their daily posts or on the sidebar of their blog for easy access. The Wicked Blogs list will be posted here by September 25, 2011.

Horrifying Hopper

What You Have To Do:
Hop through each of the Wicked Blogs that are participating and leave a comment on each project. No need to sign up, just start on the first day and work your way through all the blogs. All Horrifying Hoppers will receive a Survival Button at the end of the month to proudly post on their blog.
The Rules:

You must leave a comment on EACH participating blog EVERY day in October to qualify for the grand prize drawing. Your comment should be about the project or something related (i.e.-no "Here's my comment for today" or "I'm here!"...these types of comments won't count!) If you miss a day or a blog, you will still qualify to receive a survival button, but will not qualify for the grand prize drawing.

Sinister Lurker

What You Have To Do:

Some of you can't participate all month long, and that's okay! Only Wicked Bloggers and Horrifying Hoppers are up for the grand prize drawing, but if you can't do either of those you will still have the chance to win some Lurker prizes! We will be hiding scavenger hunt pictures randomly throughout the month on various participating blogs...if you find one on any given day, you will be put in for that day's freebie drawing. It may be a coupon, a free digi, or a Halloween goodie, who knows! We are working on some great sponsor prizes for the scavenger hunt this year, and it will be well worth your time to visit every once in a while.

The Rules:

Scavenger Items will be hidden randomly on the Wicked Blogs, and are not guaranteed to be available every day. You will have to visit blogs to find them. If you find one, you will email and let us know exactly where it was and your name will go into that scavenger item's drawing. Each person who finds the "hidden" picture will get one entry. The drawing for each scavenger prize will be the day after it was posted and winners will be chosen by random number based on who emailed. Wicked Bloggers are able to participate and find scavenger pictures as well, unless it is hidden on their own blog.

Grand Prize Drawing
Doesn't this all sound like fun? I know WE can't wait!!
But wait, I know you are now asking yourself "What huge prize drawing at the end of the month are they talking about?" In addition to some awesome scavenger prizes provided by some pretty amazing sponsors, we are offering up a glorious concoction of 31 Days goodies worth over $300!

Prize Pack Includes:

Smeared Ink Logo Tank

Raven Collage Throw Pillow

Faes Magnet

Li'l Grumpies Suck It Up Snack Pack

Li'l Grumpies Black & White Bumper Sticker

Raven Collage PJ Set

As Death Journal

Card Goddess Keychain

Winner's Choice of 5 Smeared Ink Digi Sets

How To Win It:

Each person who successfully completes the 31 Days as either a Wicked Blogger or a Horrifying Hopper will receive one entry toward this prize drawing. If you successfully complete both, you will receive two entries. (Meaning if you are a Wicked Blogger and you comment on every blog every day, you have successfully completed both).

 

Scraps of Darkness Feature at The Robin's Nest

Hello, all! During the month of August the DT members at Scraps of Darkness used some gorgeous papers from the Robin's Nest and we are so happy to announce that the Robin's Nest is doing a series of blog posts featuring Scraps of Darkness layouts created by the Design Team. Every Wednesday they will feature different DT members. I would love for you to check it out!! Click here to visit The Robin's Nest!!

Practical Magic Blog Hop,Punky Scraps Challenge 29, and Smeared Ink Card

Hello, all. First, I want to apologize for not posting anything for the Practical Magic Blog Hop on the 24th. I was planning to participate but my husband is visiting from Iraq and we have been spending time together and with our family. I've been out of town these past few days as well. I really wanted to create something for the Blog Hop since I had so much fun with it last year. Again, I apologize. I hope you all had fun at the other blogs.

Next, I am posting this a couple of days late but here is Punky Scraps' Challenge 28 - Get Picky!

Here is what the Team A ladies had to work with this month chosen by Team B

What you have to do is to use more than 2 of these techniques, products etc :)

Michelle - Use canvas (anything canvas)

Nat - use this picture to inspire you

Elin - use chipboard

Camilla - use 3 staples

Mandy - B&W photo or image

Maureen - make it monochromatic

 

To participate in the challenge and view all the wonderful creations by the Punky Rebels, please click here and visit Punky Scraps.

This is my creation using all the ingredients in the challenge:

Music Canvas. I created this on a canvas I had in my stash. The color orange, splatters, gramophone, and butterfly are all inspired by the image. I used a black and white image printed on tissue paper and decoupaged onto the canvas. I used chipboard gears painted copper and at least three staples (on one of the gears). And I made the entire project monochromatic. I also added some stamping, paper flowers, handmade ribbon roses, and buttons.

 The next project I want to share is a card I created using one of the Goth Fairy Digi Stamps from Smeared Ink. I really love this image and I could picture this in my head when I saw her.

I Ain't No Tinkerbell Card. I used a Goth Fairy Digi Stamp from Smeared Ink for this. I think she is so cute! The cardstock is from a Halloween stack of paper I have; the red striped paper is from the DCWV Immortal Love stack, the scroll ribbon is from my stash; the flowers are Petaloo and misted with Tattered Angels Slate mist. I printed the sentiment from my computer and I splattered the same mist all over the card. The fairy was colored with Copic markers.

 

Scraps of Darkness Being Featured at The Robin's Nest

Hello, all! Just wanted to let you know that all us girls at Scraps of Darkness are excited to share that we are being featured for 4 Wednesdays on "The Robins Nest" blog!!! The Robins Nest is the manufacturer of many of the papers we used in our August "Envy" kit!!!
Stop by and visit us over there and check out the wonderful products the Robins Nest offers on their store site! I hope you'll take a look!

Smudgy Antics A Bone To Pick Challenge

Hello, all! I'd like to invite you to join in at Smudgy Antics for their A Bone To Pick Challenge! Here is the description:

Yay it's Monday (how often do you hear that?), and time for a new weekly challenge! The number of entries is growing each week, and we love seeing all the creative inspiration from each of you players! Please continue to show us your stuff! This week our amazing DT members have once again floored us with their extreme talent, and we hope you enjoy seeing all the samples that go along with the challenge.

As always, here's a reminder about the rules:

*Each Monday morning a new challenge will be posted. It will contain that week's theme and prize information.

*To participate, you must make a project that fits the theme and add it to the post using the Inlinkz linky. Your link must take us directly to your project on a publicly accessible blog or website, or it will be disqualified - so please make sure you're linking to your actual post. It must be linked by midnight on the following Saturday, Pacific Time. This gives you six days to complete the challenge.

*Your project can be anything (card, scrapbook page, mixed media, altered or 3-D item, etc) as long as it is handmade and stamped somewhere with either a rubber or digital stamp. We have taken into consideration our digital artist fans and will be allowing all-digi projects. Feel free to think outside the box and have fun with your project! We are all about looking at things differently and look forward to the variety of projects and mediums we are sure to see.

*You must use AT LEAST 1 Smeared Ink image on your project. You are allowed to use anything else that you like.

*The weekly winner will be chosen by random number and revealed on Sunday. Prizes will vary and may range from a free digi to a coupon to a blog badge.

So let's get to it! Here's this week's info.

The Challenge:

A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU

You can interpret this one as you see fit. Use bones in your project, use the saying, or use the concept. Make any project you like (it doesn't have to be a card, although cards are fabulous!) and have fun with it!

 

 Here is my sample for this week's challenge:

Delish.... Card. I had some fun with this one. The stamp is from Smeared Ink (from the Mad Scientist Digi Set) and I colored it with my Copics. I then cut out the test tube he was holding and replaced it with a bone image I got off the Internet. The papers are from my Recollections Ravenhead Manor paper stack. I used some Orange Peel Stickles on the flourish and on the alphas (which are stickers I had in my stash) and used Stickles in Black Diamond around the border.

Punky Scraps Challenge 28

Hello, all! I am a day late in posting this. So sorry but I've been cleaning up a storm in preparation for my husband's visit for 2 weeks from Iraq and my mind has been in chaos. As you know, I am a Punky Rebel over at Punky Scraps and I can tell you the challenges over there are so much fun! I hope that you will stop by and participate in them!

Here is Challenge 28(and remember you have until the end of the month to submit for any of the three challenges in the month):

Sketchy time here at Punky Scraps...here is your sketch designed by Camilla!

You have until September 30th to link up your creations and to be in the running for that FAB prize from Little Yellow House Kits :)

And here is my example for this challenge:

To view the other Punky Rebels' creations, you can click here to be taken to the challenge. I hope you will join in!

~*~Scraps of Darkness~*~ September Release & Smeared Ink Release and Blog Hop

Hello, all! It's time for the September Scraps of Darkness Reveal. This month's kit is called Passages and it is chock full of gorgeous travel papers, damask patterns, and rich colored cardstock. The papers are from the Bo Bunny Etc. Collection and the Teresa Collins Traveler Collection; cardstock is from Bazzill, and the embellishments range from Prima to Jenni Bowlin. I have added photos of the kit and its add ons for your viewing {and drooling} pleasure. If you are interested in this or any other kit, act fast! They sell out quickly!

Scraps of Darkness September Kit - Passages.

Scraps of Darkness Passages Paper Add On.

Scraps of Darkness Passages Cardstock Add On.

Scraps of Darkness Passages Romance Add On.

Scraps of Darkness Color Add On.

Scraps of Darkness Passages Flora and Fauna Add On.

Isn't it fabulous!?! So now on to the Scraps of Darkness Monthly Sketch from our very own designer, Charlotte {aka Suepup}.

Scraps of Darkness Passages September Sketch.

This is the page I based on the above sketch:

Innocent Layout. This is my mother when she was baptized as a child. I love that the photo had some color to it. I took some of the Teresa Collins paper and painted the edges with Distress Crackle Paint in Tattered Rose and once dry, I inked over it with Tattered Rose Distress Ink. The lace is from my stash. I used the Prima Brick Mask and Peeled Paint Distress Ink to ink in the brick pattern. The clock is inked with Peeled Paint Distress Ink as well. The flourishes, flowers, and alphas are all from the kit as well. I then added some circle made of Liquid Pearl dots in Bisque. I also misted the burlap flowers with a Worn Lipstick and Antique Linen mists I made.

Sketchy Thursday Sketch.

Warm Welcome Layout. The photos are of my dog Attila and our family's new puppy, Lottie. At first they didn't get along; there was some major jealousy there but it wasn't too long before Attila took to her and they were acting like siblings. All the papers are from the September Scraps of Darkness kit. I used the stamps from the kit to stamp on the journaling block I made, added some lace and doilie flowers, and handmade liquid pearl embellishments. The alphas are foam Thickers which I dotted with Liquid Pearls and the glass embellishments are from a previous Scraps of Darkness kit.

Scrapbook News N' Review Magazine Sketch.

Fifteen Layout. I used the above sketch from SNR for this page of my daughter's 15th birthday. She is not much of a picture-taker so I am lucky to have these of her on that day. I used the white cardstock from the Scraps of Darkness kit and misted it, first with Shimmerz Mama Sings the Blues then with Lindy's Stamp Gang's Hydrangea Blue Mist, and a combination of the Bo Bunny ETC. papers. The zipper flower was given to me a long time ago and I combined that with the brown tulle from the kit. I made the banner and strung it up with embroidery thread.

NOW, onto the news about Smeared Ink. Smeared Ink stamps is releasing new stamps for Halloween! And to celebrate, we are having a blog hop that showcases some of the DT samples!  Here is the blog roll for you to take a look.

Terra

Tori   Black Dragon   Lady Brayton   Kapree   Sugar   Paula   Ike   Freddie   Celina You are HERE! Jane   Monique   Heather   Our Guest Designer Sara 

 Here is my sample for the blog hop, which I combined with my September Scraps of Darkness Kit.

Follow the Green Fairy Layout. Here are some of my favorite ads for Absinthe. I have never tried drinking it but I find the mystique of it is intriguing. The papers, flowers, and mist (Smooch Spritz). The fairy stamp is from Smeared Inks new Halloween release Goth Fairies.

Punky Scraps Challenge #27

Hello, all! I hope everyone is having a great day! My day is going pretty well.... a little cleaning, a little shopping... a little scrapping! Today is the beginning of Punky Scraps' Challenge #27. This challenge gives a picture to be inspired by. Take a look:

What inspires you from this picture?

So lets get on with our challenge....how does this picture inspire you?? Is it the leopard print? the tartan? the badges? colours?

Here is what I created for this challenge and how the picture inspired me!

Lil' Punk Layout. This is my eldest daughter when she went through a punky phase. I used all the things that I associate with punk: tartan, skull and crossbones, chains, safety pins, checkerboard pattern, and zippers. I misted the cardstock with Lindy's Stamp Gang mists in Yellow Rose of Texas and Hag Wart Orange, and Tattered Angels mist in Scarlet. I also used some opaque white stamp ink in combination with Tim Holtz's grunge stamps.

Smeared Ink Blog Hop ~Pieces & Parts~

Hello, all! This is my first time ever participating in a blog hop, other than hopping around and commenting, and I am so excited! I hope you will visit the Smudgy Antics Blog to take a look around and begin to hop for some inspiration!

Here is the blog roll for the hop, just in case you lose your way:

Terra: http://www.moresmearedink.blogspot.com

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

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

Kim: http://basementstamper.blogspot.com

Celina: http://www.scrapvamp.blogspot.com <----You are Here!---->

Kapree: http://kc-consultant.blogspot.com/

Heather: http://stampdetails.blogspot.com/

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

Kristy: http://kristyleesworld.wordpress.com

Monique: http://www.phoebekattebeest.blogspot.com

Lisa: http://www.ldfdesign.blogspot.com

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

Jean: http://jean-jeansartdolls.blogspot.com/

Dianne: http://dkspinner.blogspot.com

Kelli: http://cajunstampingqueen.blogspot.com

Sara: http://WelcomeToMyDarkSide.blogspot.com

The topic for this blog hop is as follows:
The theme this month is Pieces and Parts. Use at least two stamp or digi images combined to make a "new" image or focal point on your project. So, you can combine the top half of one stamp with the bottom of another, or add a part of one to another, or even build a background from several images, it's up to you! Use your imagination and have fun with it. We can't wait to see what you come up with! Also, don't forget the S&S rule that is has to be stamped somewhere (digi stamps are fine), which we're sure you won't miss with this month's theme.

So here is my take on this topic!

Till Death Layout. This is my take on using two stamps to make one focal point in my page. I used the Calavera Bride and Groom Digi stamps from Smeared Ink to create an artistic page that reminds me of how marriage means that each person is two parts to a whole. (A little mushy, I know....Lol.) I used some yellow cardstock with black laser cut paper, lots and lots of flowers from my stash, copics to color the stamps, Stickles, Thicksers, Lindy's Stamp Gang Mists (to color alphas), and different colors of liquid pearls.

Metal Mania and Scraps of Darkness

Hello, all! Today I have a challenge to share with you all. It's time for another Smudgy Antics Challenge and this week the topic is Metal Mania! Here is the description below:

Yay for a new weekly challenge! We're so excited to see some new players coming out of the woodworks, as well as our regular players; we hope you are enjoying the themes! Please feel free to pass on the info to anyone who you think would be interested in playing. All styles are welcome and as we always say, the more the merrier!

As always, here's a reminder about the rules:

*Each Monday morning a new challenge will be posted. It will contain that week's theme and prize information.

*To participate, you must make a project that fits the theme and add it to the post using the Inlinkz linky. Your link must take us directly to your project on a publicly accessible blog or website, or it will be disqualified - so please make sure you're linking to your actual post. It must be linked by midnight on the following Saturday, Pacific Time. This gives you six days to complete the challenge.

*Your project can be anything (card, scrapbook page, mixed media, altered or 3-D item, etc) as long as it is handmade and stamped somewhere with either a rubber or digital stamp. We have taken into consideration our digital artist fans and will be allowing all-digi projects. Feel free to think outside the box and have fun with your project! We are all about looking at things differently and look forward to the variety of projects and mediums we are sure to see.

*You must use AT LEAST 1 Smeared Ink image on your project. You are allowed to use anything else that you like.

*The weekly winner will be chosen by random number and revealed on Sunday. Prizes will vary and may range from a free digi to a coupon to a blog badge.

So let's get to it! Here's this week's info.

The Challenge:

METAL MANIA

This one is easy: Use metal in your project! It can be a piece of metal, a metal base, a metal color, or even Heavy Metal (for all you headbangers out there).

Here is my example:

Time Waits for No Man 8X8 Layout. I recently found an old stash of photos that I took in some cemeteries years ago. I find tombstones very beautiful and interesting... what can I say? So I decided I'd create an album just for them but I didn't want to do the regular 12X12 this time, so I am doing 8X8 and I find that I am loving the size. So here is my first page: I used a Smeared Ink Stamp (It's About Time Pocket Watch Digi) and colored it in with Copics. The papers are from the DCWV Tattered Time stack. I used some Prima flowers and Webster's Pages Bloomers. The gears are Tim Holtz and colored with Pitch Black Alcohol Ink and the title letters are Thickers.

If you'd like to see more examples and/or join in on this challenge, please stop by the Sumdgy Antics Blog!

And here is a little project using my Scraps of Darkness August Kit - Envy! This is for the Stalker Challenge over at the S.O.D. forum and this month the challenge was to create a card.  

Live Brightly Card. This card was created completely using the Scraps of Darkness Envy Kit for August. I love the nature-inspired feel of these papers and wanted to create something that reminded me of the outdoors. I used a card sketch from The Color Room for this.

Punky Scraps DT Call

Hello, all! I hope everyone is having a great day! I wanted to pop in and let you know about a fabulous opportunity to join the Punky Scraps Design Team. Some Punky Rebels have resigned for various reasons and the site is now looking for their replacements. Take a look at the original post here. This is the call description:

This means that we need some NEW punky rebels....WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US?

Do you like paint? Mist? Making a mess? You do? Then we'd love to hear from you!!!

Here is what you need to do:

Email me at punkeescraps @ gmail DOT com (without the spaces etc).

A: Name
B: Bio & Blog
C: Headshot of you for the blog
D: Your favourite creation. It can be anything. BUT just send me ONE or a LINK to your gallery.
E: Tell me why you want to be a Punky Rebel.
I need reliable applicants only please. Open to all.
Here are the rules (there have to be some don't there????)

1. End date: MONDAY 5th SEPTEMBER 2011 (it's not long, but you are only sending me your fave)
2. Term is from October until June 2012
3. There are 3 challenges each month. You will design on a month on month off rota.
4. Leaving blog love (hahaha!) is a must. It's how we keep our fantastic punky rebels playing :)
5. Please only apply if you have the time to dedicate to Punky Scraps. Thanks.
6. I can't offer any product, but i can offer you recognition (we have had designers who have moved on to design for KaiserKraft and Kuretake!), a bio on the blog, a DT Badge and some super funky challenges!!

Can't wait to see who applies..all previous applicant are encouraged to re-apply...i don't keep emails with personal details etc etc.

I WILL ONLY EMAIL THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS. This is not out of rudeness, it is merely a time issue. Thank you :)

nat xox
I hope some of you will take the plunge and apply!