Showing posts with label metal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label metal. Show all posts

Thursday, April 14, 2011

April Smeared and Smudged Member Hop

This month for our Smeared and Smudged member hop, Kelli challenged us to make something using metal. You all probably know by now that I LOVE metal in my projects! I didn't think that I would be able to participate in this hop because of other obligations, so I signed up and started a project last minute yesterday.


Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish it, but I do have a sneak peek for you. I will be finishing the project today and posting the pictures by the end of the day. For now, here's a closeup of the image I have used. It is the Octobat image from one of our newer digi sets, Creature Feature. Can anyone guess what it is that I'm making?




Since I don't have a full project to show you, I figured I'd make up for it by giving away some BLOG CANDY! Since I used one of Smeared Ink's digi images for my project I thought we'd talk about digis. All you have to do to be entered into the blog candy drawing is tell me which of the Smeared Ink digi images or sets is your favorite and what you would use it on. Leave your answer here in a comment and I will draw the winner by random number and announce tomorrow :) The winner will get a small goody bag from me with awesome metal random embellishments and found objects to use on their own projects!


In the meantime, head on down the blog roll list to the other participating members and see what metal-themed projects they have created for you! And don't forget to swing by later for full pics of my project. Hope you enjoy the inspiration!


















Tuesday, December 7, 2010

12 Days of Christmas: Day 4- Hammered Aluminum Art Book

Welcome back to 12 Days of Christmas everyone! Today I am sharing a gift item that I have made. You all know, if you've followed my blog for very long, that I LOVE repurposing old hardback book covers and making new books out of them. Well, I decided to do it yet again and make a mini art/sketch book for my daughter.

But, I do have a surprise for you. As a thanks for being patient with me while I skipped out on my last project to spend time with my hubby, I've made a tutorial for my hammered aluminum technique! You'll see the technique in today's project, and if you want to learn how to do it, you can find the instructions on our new and improving (since we're not done yet) Tutorial Page on the Smeared and Smudged Forum. Just go there and click the button that says Hammered Aluminum; it'll show you how to do the strip and flower.

Now on to the book...
*click for larger pics








After recovering my book cover with deco paper, I used our Inky Dreams stamp set from Smeared Ink to stamp my background ink blotches in acrylic paint. I used some pearl-ex powder all around the edges of the book. I then added the hammered aluminum strip down the front, my feathers, wire, and flower embellishment. The last step was to add in my new journal block. I've included a pic of the back also so you can see how awesome the background stamp is!

I can't wait to see the look on my daughter's face when she sees this, cause I know she'll love it! And I hope you get some ideas for your own projects after you see my tutorial. Now, hop on over to the rest of the Jolly Bloggers by following the links in my sidebar to get some more fabulous 12 Days inspiration.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Smeared and Smudged Member Blog Hop- June

Hi everyone! Welcome to another addition of our Smeared and Smudged Forum Member Blog Hop! If you're fairly new to following my blog and haven't seen one of these before, I'll explain how it works. Basically, all of the members over on the Smeared and Smudged Forum are invited to participate in a member hop. Any member who wants to can post a project on their blog, and it's just one of the ways that we support each other in our artistic journey. We all hop around like mad rabbits, check out all the cool projects, and leave comments! It's a blast seeing the varying techniques and unique perspectives, plus there are no rules! Members can make anything they want as long as they follow the S&S rule that it is stamped somewhere.

If you have no idea what the Smeared and Smudged Forum is, I'd like to invite you to check it out. Although we tend to lean toward the wilder, darker side of stamping, absolutely everyone with any style or experience is welcome!! We embrace all types of stamped art. The forum is full of very cool and friendly people, and tons of inspiration. You are welcome to join and jump right in to conversations, challenges, and groups; or lurk in the background and take from it what you will. We have all kinds of members, from the very active to the almost unseen, and we appreciate each and every one of them and what they have to offer.

So, enough with my shpeal and onto the art! For my project today I decided, of course, that I had to alter something. And that something ended up being an empty Jack Daniels bottle. (No, not mine...)

I used my Smeared Ink "Faes" stamp set to build what I am calling a Fairy Wish Bottle. Pretty much it's a bottle that you open up and whisper all your wishes into, then seal it up tight so they don't get lost! The fairies keep them safe and work their hardest to grant them.

It was a long process to alter, and you can see from the pics that there is a whole lotta stuff going on! Lots of bling, and lots of girly fru-fru...I don't know why, but I felt very pink and whymsical when I did it. The main feature is the double images- one on the front of the bottle, and one peeking from the inside back of the bottle that you can see through the glass (which is why he's a little blurry).

I won't go into lots of details on supplies cause it would take forever, if you have a question feel free to comment and I'll answer, but I will point out some of the cool features under each pic. Feel free to click on pics to make them bigger.


Okay, so here's the front of the bottle. You can see LOTS of stuff, including my little Fae right in the front. The white stuff that is frosting the bottle is Gesso. There are clear rocks (which you'll see better later) and crystals framing the front. You can also see the background Fae and some butterflies that are dangling on the inside of the bottle. There is also a word embossed on clear plastic on the top right that says "Whimsy", which is from our Faes set.



Here's a closeup of the front Fae- isn't he CUTE!!!!!! I colored with watercolor crayons, and his wings are glittered. There are also crystals in the middle of the flowers.



Here you can see my background Fae peeking through the glass, and one of the hanging butterflies. The background picture is made from a collage of magazine flowers, and this Fae is also watercolored and glittered.



Not a great pic, but here you can see some of the dangly butterflies and dragonflies; there are five of them in the bottle.



This is a close-up of the top of the bottle. I used several types of ribbon and strings to tie around the bottle neck, and added a really pretty metal embellishment that I added a tiny crystal to. The metal chainy-looking thing with beads was a bracelet in a past life, and I added the lock charm. The actual lid is covered with silver glittery paper ribbon, which was also used around the bottom of the bottle.



Here's a shot of the first side, where a key dangles from clear string. You use this to "open" the lock, of course! The sides and back are covered with those clear rocks that I talked about earlier.



Close-up of the key. You can see my clear plastic tag that goes along with it that features the word "Believe" from our Faes set.


The back of the bottle is covered with paper (the background image you see through the front) that I painted with pink metallic nail polish. Then I covered with those clear rocks, and in-between if you look really closely you can see crystals. You also catch a glimpse of that silver ribbon that's wrapped around the whole bottle, and you can see the dangling chains from the cap.


Here's a shot of the second side of the bottle, which is also covered in rocks and crystals.



I hope you enjoyed taking a look at my project. I'd love to hear what you think of it. I know it's alot to take in, but I was feeling the fairy love! I adore it, and so do my kids, so this one is definitely a keeper... although I'm not quite sure where it will go yet.

So, now's the time to go and see all the other fabulous projects that the members of Smeared and Smudged have to show you. Use the list below to hop around, leave some love on their blogs, and come on over to join us on the forum if you haven't already! Happy Hopping!



Kelli

Steph

Lady Brayton

Lisa

Jean

Kathi

Alison

Sarah

Meredith

Black Dragon

Kim

Monica

Tink


Thursday, December 31, 2009

Plethora of Prickley Pear

Today I'm sharing with you some of the cards that I created throughout this month for the Prickley Pear Design Team. I've really enjoyed finding different looks for these stamps and am very excited to give you a little peek of what I've been up to.

Below you'll find four different cards that used Prickley Pear stamps and decorative papers from a Rockstar paper pack. I loved matching the papers to the stamps and making them interesting and fun!

For this first one, I used some copper mesh as my background. I embossed the "Guitar With Wings ATC" stamp onto decorative paper using copper powder, and then went in with my white gel pen to add details. I also framed the mesh with the same decorative paper, then used folded mesh, brown raffia, and my white gel pen to add accents on the card.




This next picture is a little off in the coloring, but you can get the idea. The card is actually a rosey pink without the yellow tinge to it. I stamped the "Skull and Crossbones" stams onto white cardstock and colored with my prismas; then I covered the whole thing with clear mini microbeads. My wodrs were also stamped on white, and a pink jewel brad was added as an accent. After layering my deco paper onto my card, some shiny pink thread was added behind my main image and everything was attached together. I know pink is odd for this stamp, but who says girly girls can't be bad?




I think this card is my favorite out of the four. I used a black card base, and believe it or not, the decorative paper came out of a shipping box. It was the stuff they had to pad the box. Awesome paper, and very textural! The flower image came off of the "Fabulous and Funky" half sheet. I stamped it in black and then used my white gel pen to add accents. I ripped some black paper and a long strip of the packing paper, then used it to wrap and tie a knot. Finally I added in eyelets and a black brad, and stamped the word "Live" by using a saying from the "Motorcycle and Pinup Girl" half sheet.




Finally, I used blacks, grays, and white to make this card. The stamped guitar image also came from the "Fabulous and Funky" half sheet, and was stamped and embossed in silver on gray cardstock. I used black watercolor to add some darker shadows to it. I layered torn paper, decorative paper, and some striped tied ribbon, then added cut out stars and eyelets to finish it off.



I hope you enjoy seeing these fun cards, and stay tuned in the next few days for some more cards and projects. I actually have a few spare days for stamping fun, and I plan on using them!

And don't forget, today is the last day to enter the sketch challenges over on the Smeared and Smudged Ning Group to win the fabulous "Retro Cowgirl" set from Bombshell Stamps. Hurry over to get your sketch on! And Happy New Years Eve!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

December Bombshell Hump Day Hop

Welcome to the December Bombshell Hump Day Hop! Starting now, rather than hopping weekly, the Bombshells are bringing you a monthly hop dedicated to showcasing wicked projects and cards featuring Bombshell's awesome stamps!

To start the new year off right, I made a card featuring images from the "Love and Luck" and "Striped By Me" sets. It's very simple. In fact, if you visit Smeared and Smudged regularly you probably know that I like stuff. Lots and lots of stuff on my projects! But I wanted to bring a simple, stripped down vibe to this card to emphasize the beginning of a brand new year.


*click pics for larger views*


I colored the birds and banner in bright colors to illustrate a bright and beautiful future, and used the luck and fate banner to symbolize a fortunate year. The metal brads and medallion are tacking down the vibrant decorative paper over the crumpled vellum; covering the "old" and symbolizing a solid, clean start.

I know, lots of info on such a simple card, but I'd like for you to know the thinking behind it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and that you hop to the other participants blogs as well. Don't forget, for every comment you make, you have the chance to win the prize from Bombshell! Happy Hopping!!


Mary G.

Ms. December - Erika

Kathi

Nicole

Kas

Gabby

Miss Magoo

Katie


Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The Creationist Tree Spinner- Bombshell Hump Day Hop

Welcome to the first November Bombshell Hump Day Hop! Just in case you haven't been here before, each Wednesday the Bombshell Design Team brings you a wicked blog hop that features themed stamp projects and fabulous prizes!

Getting an entry to win is really easy. Just take a look at my project and leave me a comment. Then hop over to the other DT member blogs and leave them a comment about their project as well. For every comment you make, you get an entry.

This week we are all welcoming our Ms. November Bombshell, Mary G.
Big, warm welcomes to you, Mary!!!
Ms. November has presented us with a challenge that rocks, literally. Our challenge is to use song lyrics as inspiration for our project, and I am so thrilled to be participating this week. I LOVE using song lyrics! To view the challenge details, visit the Bombshell Stamps Forum after you've hopped.

For my project I wanted to use the song "The Creationist" by Kerli, which is the song playing on my blog today. The lyrics are:

This is an old and funny poem
I accidentally overheard.
It keeps the little children playing
And bigger children spread the word.
My memory is bad so I always tend to forget
How it goes but

Life is my creation.
Is my best friend.
Imagination is my defense.
And I’ll keep walking
When skies are grey.
Whatever happens
Was meant that way.

Your no better or no worse than the others
We are all the same.
Life is just a moment
You might as well enjoy this day.
It’s time to start believing that everything you want is
On its way and

Life is my creation.
Is my best friend.
Imagination is my defense.
And I’ll keep walking
When skies are grey.
Whatever happens
Was meant that way.

We’ll be growing
Into knowing
While we’re flowing
Keep on going

Life is my creation.
Is my best friend.
Imagination is my defense.
And I’ll keep walking
When skies are grey.
Whatever happens
Was meant that way.

I’m a creationist, oh
I’m a creationist.

This is an old and funny poem
I accidentally overheard

When I listened to the lyrics I knew I wanted to make something free and creative, so I chose to make a tree spinner. It is similar to a windchime; you hang it in a tree or on a porch outside, but instead of making noise it spins in the wind.


*click pics for larger views*











I used an awesome piece of metal that I found at goodwill for the top piece. I'm not sure what it was supposed to be, some sort of decoration, but I painted it up with acrylics and nailpolish to suit my purpose. Then I used scrabble tiles to make my two spinning words: create and live. These words are interchangeable in my world! I can't live without creating, it's just part of me.

My paper art collage doll at the bottom of the spinner was made using five different Bombshell sets: Mermaid Anchor, Pirates Life, Till Death, Sugar Skulls, and Butterfly Queen. I also used the banner that says "No Regrets" from the Girl's Ruin set on the front of the metal piece. Both were colored with prismas and nail polish. On the back of the art doll, I scripted out the lyrics to the song so you can see them when it spins.

To me this spinner represents my interpretation of this song, and I hope you enjoy it! I wanted to make it colorful and fun, something that represents how I feel when I create. It reminds me that no matter how bad life gets, I will always have what is truly me!

So, now that I've told you all about what I think of the spinner and the song, I'd love to hear your opinion. Please leave a comment, and then hop over to the other blogs!!



Ms. November - Mary G.

Kathi

Glittery Katie

Nicole

Jacquie

Angela

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Harlequin Ghostie- Prickley Pear Sketch Challenge

Today is an awesome day for a sketch challenge! The folks over at Prickley Pear are sponsoring a super fun October Sketch Challenge complete with a fab prize! Visit the Prickley Pear Blog to get all the details, see other Design Team samples, and upload your own project using their sketch.

For my project, I've created a spooky Halloween card to go with my 31 Days of Halloween here on Smeared and Smudged, and it features the Ghost and Small Ghost images from PP.





If you follow my blog, you know that I love working with metal, and this card was no exception. The harlequin background is a scrap piece of aluminum (think soda can), as is the larger ghost image. I used my paint pens, my new favorite product, to add the orange and black diamonds. I distressed all my edges with scissors, and the super cool ribbon was a gift from my
friend Sarah K- thank you Sarah!

This was a rockin' sketch to work with! So now go visit the Prickley Pear Blog to view the sketch and all the contest details, then get creating! Upload a link to your project there. And if you want to share, please link to your project here as well to get an entry for 31 Days of Halloween Blog Candy! (Just be sure to link on the PP Blog first or your entry won't count for their contest!) Have Fun!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Day of The Dead Tealight Holder- Bombshell Hump Day Hop

Today marks alot of things here on Smeared and Smudged. It is day 14 of 31 Days of Halloween. It is the 6th Bombshell Hump Day Hop. And, it is the first time I am featuring a Day of The Dead project! So welcome to the hop, I hope you enjoy it!

The theme for this week's hop is "What was I thinking?"

We've all said it, we've all thought it, now the Bombshell Design Team Members are showing it off! This was quite a challenge for me, and not because I don't hoard things or have an impulsive shopping disorder like so many others... it's because I recently cleared out all of those long forgotten purchases and have almost bare shelves! Not really, but most of what I have I use frequently, so it was hard.

I'm running short on What Was I Thinking supplies, but, I did manage to dig this bad boy out. It is a Christmas cookie tin that has been waiting in the deep dark recesses of a closet, just waiting for the right altering project to come along!



To prepare this tin for its magic makeover, I pulled out a butane torch, some safety goggles, and a breathing mask, and burned the paint off. Don't try this at home without a breathing mask! The fumes are toxic!! Then I used a wire brush to scuff it up a bit and get the rest of the paint off. Finally, I cut the tin into a strip, removing the bottom and top circle portions. This gave me a good surface to stamp on.

Using stazon, I stamped out my sugar skull images that came from the Bombshell "Sugar Skulls" and "Alter Skulls" sets. I used tin snips to cut out my shape, and then went to town with my paint pens. I know the coloring techniques are very similar to last week's hop project, but I had so much fun with that one, I wanted to do it again!

Unfortunately, the finish on the tealight holder is so glossy that I had some problems taking pics without glare! So I took some inside and outside. The outside pictures have a truer color, and the inside ones have more detail, so between the two you can get the idea.

Outside



click pics for larger views



Inside



(that's bright light on the bottom is my candle)

I hope you enjoy what I did! This is my first Day of The Dead decoration, and I plan on making lots more. Don't forget to leave your comment for entries to both the Bombshell Contest and the 31 Days of Halloween Blog Candy. Then visit the other Bombshell DT members:


Angela

Kas

Miss Magoo

Jacquie (Ms.October!)

Gabby

Sarah K

Glittery Katie

Lyss

Kathi

Nicole


And don't forget to give Kelli a visit to see her 31 Days of Halloween Project! Happy Hump Day!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Speed Demon- Bombshell Hump Day Hop

Thanks for joining me this week for the Bombshell Hump Day Hop! Once again, the Bombshell Design Team members are bringing you a blog hop featuring thrilling projects for your inspiration!

Today all of the participants are showcasing their version of Ms. October's Color Challenge over at Bombshell Stamps. Welcome Jacquie as Ms October!!!!! And thanks for the fabulous challenge!

The colors to use are orange, green, black, and optional purple. My version of this challenge is a speed demon, featuring stamps from the Vintage Raceway and Sacred Heart Bombshell sets.

I stamped my demon on aluminum and colored with paint pens. He came out a little more "cartooney" than I had planned, but I guess watching Disney's Cars six times in a week will do that to you! At least it's a good excuse... The cool thing about using the aluminum was that I was able to mold the image to make him pop off the card. To me, he looks super 3-D!


*click for bigger pics*


I did learn a couple of things about paint pens as this was my first time using them, and I plan on going back and getting some Ultra Fine Point pens for more detailed work. For now, this ended up being a great Halloween card for my nephew!!!

So now, leave your comment below this post telling me what you think and you'll be entered into both the monthly drawing over at Bombshell Stamps, AND 31 Days of Halloween Blog Candy Contest!(see my sidebar for more info on candy). Then visit the other Bombshell DT members blogs to catch a glimpse of their contest projects!!



Jacquie (Ms. October)

Angela

Kas

Kathi

Miss Magoo

Stephanie

Gabby

Nicole



WANNA PLAY WITH BOMBSHELLS? HERE ARE THE CONTEST GUIDELINES: (CONTEST ENDS OCT. 31, 2009)
The creation can be a card, layout or altered item, but must have:

1. a Bombshell Stamp somewhere
2. use of ORANGE, BLACK, GREEN, and purple is an optional substitution color.
3. Upload to the Bombshell Gallery or PCP Bombshell Group and tag the photo of your submission with "BSSOCT09", to be entered in the drawing!

The prize for the October Color Challenge is:

Friday, May 15, 2009

First post ever! Soda Can Feather Fashionista


Alright, let's get right down to it! I'm starting this blog as a spin-off to my Smeared Ink blog that explores general stamping techniques and showcases my stamp clubs and classes. Smeared and Smudged: More from Smeared Ink is going to focus more on creativity and individual expression! And to begin, I want to feature a card that I made a while back...I call this one my "Fashionista" card. Some of my stamp club members were very interested in how I made the metal feathers, and it's so simple! Just take an old soda can and rinse it out, cut the top and base off, and flatten out the aluminum. Now you have a sheet of metal to work with. You can paint the back (outside) of the can, but since mine were flat to the card I didn't even bother. Use an oval punch and punch out three or four. Then take scissors and snip from the edge toward the middle down each side, being careful not to go through the middle, and being VERY CAREFUL not to cut yourself of the aluminum! Wear gloves if you need to! I made my cuts wavy to give it a different look, and then rubbed and wiped off black stazon to give them a worn look. The rest of the card features hand painting, torn paper, and frayed ribbon. The image is from Third Coast Rubber Stamps. Hope you enjoy it!