Dt Throwdown #2- Smeared Ink Entry

Hello everyone! Thanks for visiting today to check out the Smeared Ink team entry for the second DT Throwdown Challenge on Smeared and Smudged! If you don't know what the throwdown is, please come by and visit the S&S Forum. We have the best of the best Design Teams playing against each other in a friendly and fierce bi-weekly competition. We'd love to have your DT join in as well, and if you are not on a DT, we'd love to have you come and voice your opinion by voting for the winner!

Voting for this challenge begins tomorrow, so please be sure to swing by and cast your vote for your fave team projects after you check out all the eye candy presented by the participants. Of course, we'd LOVE it if you choose us to win, but we encourage you to vote for the projects (team) that you think are the best :)

So, without further adeu, here are the Smeared Ink entries for this round!

The theme for this challenge was Faux Finishes. We were tasked by the HDH Team, who won last weeks challenge, to create a project with some sort of faux technique used on it. Don't forget, you can click on any picture to see it closer.

#1 Our first entry comes to you from Anna.

Anna decided to use a Faux Metal technique, and used stamps from Smeared Ink's Quoth The Raven and Bloody Valentine sets. Visit Anna's Blog for more details about her project.

#2 Our second entry, for your viewing pleasure, is from Leigh.

Leigh used a Faux Ancient Stone technique for dominoes and she made both a pendant and a magnet that feature stamps from Smeared Ink's Quoth The Raven set. To view the details of Leigh's project, please visit her Blog here.

#3 The third and final project for Smeared Ink's entry is mine. 

I must warn you, this entry is picture intensive, but you'll see why. I decided to make a plaster gauze book with a Faux Leather cover. Here are the pics and details.

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE bees. I have such respect for them and really feel an attraction and calling to be around them. Of course, if they get too close without me knowing I will freak out, but more from surprise rather than fear. Anyways, this book is a sort of "shrine" book for my beloved bees.

Here is my faux finish piece of this project- the faux leather cover.

On the bound side of the book, I have my jar along with some other goodies. I am a little peeved about this jar and I'll tell you why. I have a bee (yes, a real one) that I have saved to use in the "perfect" project. My youngest daughter was stung about a year ago because she stepped on it in the grass. Poor baby, but it was not too bad. For the bee, well, it turned out not so good. Not only did the poor bee get stepped on, but he also died because, well, bumblebees die when they sting. Well, I kept the bee, which some may think is demented but oh well. When we packed up a few months ago to move, I put him in a safe place so he wouldn't get squished by the movers. Well, when I put stuff in a "safe" place, I tend to forget exactly where that place is, and having everything packed and unpacked just added to the problem. I can't find him. So, here my jar sits with a few screws in the bottom of it, waiting for it's bee. When I find him, this is where he'll go...

 So now begins the inside of the book. I've used stamp images throughout from a Smeared Ink set that will be released THIS FRIDAY. If you'd like to see sneak-peeks of the set, visit our Facebook page. Then visit the Smeared Ink shop on Friday to see this as well as a few more new release sets.

In addition to regular plaster gauze pages, I also have what I like to call faux-mica pages. They give the feeling of mica and also have the look of honey or bee resin.

Here you can see the separate "clear" page.

On this page I used beeswax to collage my pieces.

Some pages have journaling on them, and the blank pages are meant to hold pictures or mementos which will be added as time goes by. You can see the texture of the gauze.

Here's another image from our new set, along with some other goodies.

Another of our new images on a faux-mica page.

The final page in the book has metal covered in beeswax in which I've carved a thank you to the bees.

And there you have it!

I hope you've enjoyed taking a look at our projects. I'd love to hear what you think about the bee book, and if you haven't yet please visit Anna's and Leigh's blogs and let them know what you think of their projects as well.

Good luck to all of the teams playing in the Throwdown this week, and PLEASE COME VOTE for your favorite TOMORROW or FRIDAY! 

Vote Here