Big Fish Challenge at Burtonesque Dolls

This week Smeared Ink is partnering with The Burtonesque Dolls to sponsor their Big Fish Challenge!

The fabulous Dolls got the chance to play with our Carnies stamps and Fortune Teller Digi, and you simply MUST go over and see what they created! The challenge is to create a Big-Fishy Scene based on the movie Big Fish , and you have until Monday, August 3rd to submit your entries.

The winner will get a Carnies Umnounted Stamp Sheet and our Fortune Teller Carnie Digi, which isn't even available any more! How sweet is that!

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So, go now to check out all the details and wicked projects over at The Burtonesque Dolls. Can't wait to see what you create!

Christmas In July Sale! Today!!!!

Smeared Ink is having a Christmas in July sale that ends tonight, so as long as you email or order by midnight(pacific time) you will get the sale prices. I can't believe I forgot to post this here... but here's the info!!



'Tis The Season for a Christmas in July SALE! We'd love to help you get an early start on your holiday shopping, so for two days we are offering Buy 1-Get 1 Half Off on all our full stamp sets! Stock up for that special stamper in your life, or expand your own Smeared Ink collection.

Sale valid Saturday July 24 and Sunday July 25

Also, we are now offering an amazing Holiday 2010 Wish List signup on our site... choose your fave sets and we'll email your wish list to the people you choose so they'll know EXACTLY what you want to find in your stocking! And, we are starting an email newsletter so things like this won't happen again (I mean me forgetting to post info). You can sign up for both of these by clicking the links here, or from our home page. When you sign up for the newsletter, you get a great coupon to use in the future.

Hope you can swing by today! I'm off to enjoy the rest of the gorgeous day outside planting ;)

Dropping The Bomb- Heartflies Garden

Ok, today I'm sharing my third and final catch-up Bombshell Stamps project with you. Not to say there won't be more, these are just the three that I was able to get done this past weekend. I still have ALOT to go to be completely caught up and will share as I am able to.

Like I mentioned yesterday, this one may be my fave out of the three. I used the Growing Hearts stamp set for this one.


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On the background of my card, I used a stencil and some black gesso to add some faint swirly images. Then I added some shading to make it look kinda like a night scene. I finished the background by stamping the vine image in white coming from the right edge.

My main image was stamped on white cardstock, colored with prismacolors, and cut out. I wanted most of the colors on her to be soft and faint, almost like moonlight was falling on her. Then I added bold color to the heart in her hand, her lips, and the heart on her forehead using nail polish. I added her to the bottom left of the card. Next I colored and cut out some flowers to surround her.

The rest of the hearts are leftovers from a die-cut that I used a while back. I had tons of the little hearts left over, and the swirly effect at the bottom of them matched perfectly with the heart in the image! I colored them with nail polish as well. I cut the wings from a metal piece that I had laying around (it's the same metal piece that I used for my Creationist spinner a while back), and added yellow embossing powder to them. Then I attached them to the back of my hearts, and added them to the card.

So, now you get the title! She's catching Heartflies in her midnight garden...or at least that's the visual I had. Does it make sense? I think this one's my fave cause it's kinda odd, it fits me. I wish I could go outside and catch heartflies, ha ha! I'd love to hear what you think.

Dropping The Bomb- Tiki Invite

If you joined me yesterday, you heard all about my attempt at catching up. Well, here's my second Bombshell Stamps project that I have to share with you. It's supposed to be an invitation to a summer tiki party. I make it relatively simple to keep with the idea that I'd be making quite a few of these to send/give out, and I think it came our rather nice.

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This card uses images from the Tiki Party and Madonna Woodcut Bombshell stamp sets. I started this time by stamping, coloring, and cutting out my tiki gods. For the coloring, I used two different distress inks, my colorbox tool, and some markers. I choose my cardstock colors to match the colors I used on the tikis.

On the rusty background cardstock, I distressed the whole thing to look kinda soft like suede. I stamped flowers from Madonna Woodcuts using distress ink, and added just a touch of color to them using chalks. For the saying, I crumbled vanilla cardstock and distressed it, then stamped my banner onto it. Then using my colorbox tool, I added deeper shadows behind the banner. Finally, I added two brown brads.

I layered everything, putting the tikis on pop dots, and tied a brown raffia ribbon to the background. To finish off the card, I added these two wood-like buttons to the raffia and tied them so they had space in between. Now I just need to throw a tiki party so I can send the invitation!

I'd love to hear what you think about this, so feel free to comment if you like.Tomorrow I have a third project to share with you, and I think it might be my favorite out of the three, so please visit! See you then.

Dropping the Bomb- Sunless Garden ATC

Lately I've been in a little bit of a slump when it comes to creating. I just haven't had time, and due to some serious personal issues (don't worry, it's all good now!), I've been very lax when it comes to making anything. I've only participated with my Bombshell DT obligations when absolutely neccessary, and unfortunately my beloved Bombshell Stamps have gone untouched for about two months.

Shannon has been absolutely wonderful and supportive, but now that things are getting back to normal I REALLY NEED TO CATCH UP!!! So, with my hubby home and really nothing pressing to do other than a semester exam, I took some time this weekend and made three Bombshell projects that I'll be sharing over the next couple of days. And let me just say, it was exhilarating to sit down and create without any barriers or restrictions. And to think I was debating on ever stamping again... Pshhhhhhhhhhh! As if I could live with that!

Anyway, the first of my projects is an ATC. I know, I don't usually do these, but for some reason after participating in a few of the S&S monthly swaps, they have captured my interest and now I'm in love! I think it's the whole no restrictions thing that I mentioned before. I love when I can just "do" and not worry about following guidelines. I'm sure I'll be making quite a few more ATC's over the next few weeks.

This one features images from the Sacred Heart and Dead Necessities Bombshell sets, and a saying from the Growing Hearts set. It was a blast to make, and I even got a "Wow, that's pretty cool, I REALLY like that one" from my husband, which doesn't happen often. Usually it's a "Yeah, that looks good" or "it's nice", but I think this one just caught his attention.

*click to view larger

I started with a background image from Itkupilli, then stamped my saying in white over the background and added some glitter nailpolish accents. The flying skull and sacred heart were stamped on chipboard, cut out, and colored with paint pens, chalks, markers, and nailpolish. I added some broken jewlery to the heart, then they were both attached with pop dots.

Finally, the saying was stamped again on white cardstock using both black and red ink, then I cut out the strips and matted the word that I wanted in red. Then of course I used some distress ink randomly. After doing all that, I decided to add stitching down the sides and in the opposite corners to finish off the ATC.

So, whatcha think? Is it a "Wow, I REALLY like that" or a "that's nice"? For me, it's a winner. I may make it into a magnet so I can look at it all the time, who knows. I hope you enjoyed looking at it and maybe even got some ideas. And please join me tomorrow for another Bombshell project!

Simply Betty Blog Hop...London Birthday Hardware

Ooooohhh...hardware! These are a few of my favorite things! Today the Smeared and Smudged Design Team is hopping along with Simply Betty Stamps and their super grungy-cute "My Kids Emo World" stamps. We were all challenged to make a project that was grungy-hardware, and it worked perfectly for me because my daughter's birthday is next week. Perfect challenge to make a birthday card for her!

I didn't want to grunge it up too much, since it's for her. Although she definitely takes after me and loves the darker themes, I still wanted the project to reflect her personality, which is kinda diva-grunge.

So, I chose to work with London, whose familiar is a cat. London immediately reminded me of my daughter; prissy and a little evil, ha ha! To work in the hardware, I chose to make a separate piece that comes off the card and turns into a necklace charm. Something that she will love to wear!

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You can see in the pics that I tore and layered a greenish paper in the background. The paper came from the inside of a package that I received a while back, and you may remember it from another card that I used it on way back when. The paper is SO COOL because when you tear it, the inside is black.



I colored London and cut her out, then simply popped her up on foam dots. The letters are stickers, and I added white gel pen lines to them. Then I worked on the charm with hardware.



Starting with a punched black square, I layered the same green paper onto the back of it. The front got a coat of black glitter glue, and the cute little cat that I had previously colored. After the glue dried, I sandwiched the square in the middle of two pieces of memory glass, and stuck it in a frame. Then I added some jump rings and these neat looking bolts. Finally, I tied a big black bow on the top of it and attached it to the card with more jump rings.

I know that she will LOVE this card, and the charm will be worn often, if not all the time. And I also know I will be using ths stamp for other projects pertaining to her, because it just fits her so well!!

So, now that you've seen what I've done with these great Simply Betty stamps, hop through the other S&S DT member blogs. Then visit Debbie, one of the Simply Betty Design Team Members, and Betty herself! You're sure to see some amazing grungy hardware featuring the "My Kids Emo World" stamps.

Terra

Tori

Alison

Kelli

Jean

Sarah

Danielle

Black Dragon

Lady Brayton

Meredith

Kim

Kathi

Lisa

Debbie

Betty Betty has had an emergency and won't get to play today :(

Don't Forget Grumpie- new challenges

I'd like to let you all know that we have updated The Challenger group over on the S&S forum with brand spanking new Very Sketchy challenges, an awesome Oh, The Horror! challenge, and an inspiration filled Rock N Rolla challenge! Plus, our guest DT member Lisa has challenged us to stamp something we can wear... you don't want to miss The Challenger this month!

Our July sponsors are just as awesome, and we have had generous donations from both Simply Betty Stamps and Stampotique. Be sure to swing by our main page to get all the info about these fabulous sponsors!

I don't usually participate in my own challenges, but I couldn't pass up this months card sketch(and probably won't be able to pass up the others, they rock!) So, here's my version.

*click pic for larger view

This little guy is Cotton, one of the images from our Li'l Grumpies set at Smeared Ink. I colored him with watercolors, markers, and distress ink. The background paper is from Black Market, and the cardstocks are from Stampin' Up. The punches I used are also from Stampin' Up.

I tore the edges of my papers and then distressed them with antique photo distress ink, then layered them on top of each other. I also used the ink on my blue velvet ribbon to make it look older. For hardware I used a cool little picture hanger-type thing, eyelets as flower centers, and a jeweled brad in his bellybutton.

The card is pretty simple, but still has depth in my opinion. I'd love to hear what you think! And I can't wait to see what you all can come up with using this sketch. Come on by the forum to submit your version for a fab prize!

*31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN 2010*

HIDDEN IMAGE FUN SCAVENGER HUNT

CLUE # 2: REWIND BACK ONE MORE MONTH AND SEE HOW MUCH JACK MISSES YOU