SOS #450 - QUIT BUGGING ME - STEAMPUNK BEETLE

 Hello, Crafty Makers!

It is time for another fortnight challenge at

Shopping Our Stash

I am not a big fan of insects. I don't care how pretty they may be (butterflies and ladybugs.) I prefer to admire them from a distance.

STEAMPUNK BEETLE

This card was fairly simple to complete!  Both the background and the beetle were colored using Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink.  I used a black Sharpie™ to create faux black matting around my panel.  I added Glossy Accents to create a little more interest, and I was done!

I live in the South, and I have made peace with the fact that bugs are simply one more thread in the crazy fabric of southern living.  It does not matter how clean you keep your house or how much you pay your pest control service, southern bugs are the Michael Jordans of the insect world.  You can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them.

That said, I cannot explain why I like this beetle image so much.  It took much self-control to refrain from purchasing another steampunk beetle image.  The second one is full-on steampunk and would have integrated well with some AALL&Create background stamps.

Thanks for stopping by.  I look forward to finding out what is Bugging You!

Hugz,

Chana Malkah

A PLACE TO START - JULY 2021 CHALLENGE 7 -The Blessings of The Ancestors

 Hello, Crafty Mates!

This month's challenge at A Place To Start is

Craft Your Favorite Holiday/Celebration

I have chosen the birth of a child as my favorite!

Blessings of the Ancestors

This beautiful digital stamp by artist Robert Jackson has been in my digital image stash for almost six months.  This image speaks to me on so many levels.  More now than ever before, I need to believe that each new generation will live free from oppression, free from disenfranchisement, and free from fear. May each generation learn to listen to the voices in the wind, the voices of our ancestors!

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

I don't do a lot of CAS, I am not so good at it, and technically, this card is not pure CAS.  To fit the true description of Clean And Simple design, more than fifty percent of my face panel (topper) would need to remain totally untouched. Additionally, CAS projects should be designed so multiple cards can be created over a short period of time.  The amount of time needed to stamp, print, stencil, and color the images moved this project way beyond CAS. Not many crafters have been able to master that skill so the definition of CAS has been expanded.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugz,

Chana Malkah

613 Avenue Create - July Challenge #7 - Anything Goes w/Optional Twist: Watercolor

 Hello, Crafty Makers!

This month at 613 Avenue Create, we are challenging our players to get messy with watercolors!  As long as you mix ink with water and put it onto paper, your project meets the twist criteria!  

We Are All Mad Here!

"Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next." ~ Alice In Wonderland

I began the background for this project using three Distress Oxide inks, Salvaged Patina, Squeezed Lemonade, and Worn Lipstick.  Since I knew my "Chicken Dance" images would be in a primary color, I figured using pastels in the background was a pretty "Mad" thing to do.  I used a water brush to make swipes and squiggles across the card panel. I used my heating tool to speed up the drying time.

It was my intent to create an impressionistic interpretation of all that Alice saw as she fell.  I thought about adding book and teacup stamps but decided that was too pedestrian.   I chose instead to use a stencil that would look like a distorted wall.

Next, I added Bundled Sage and Picked Raspberry Distress Inks to an acrylic block and spritzed it with water. I smooshed it down onto the panel in two spots. I layered four different stencil images onto the watercolored background using Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.

It would be impossible to create this card and not include the mad hatter's hat!  I found a free image on Google.  The hat was colored using Derwent® Inktense™ Pencils.

I thought these little chicken stamps from ALL&Create just screamed, "We are all mad here!"  They were colored using Inktense™ pencils.  I am still learning how to use these pencils.  The color is more intense than what you get with watercolor pencils, but there is a bit of a learning curve.

In this picture, you can see the impression made by the acrylic block.  Also shown is the black border edge that I created using a ruler and my black Inktense™ pencil.

I look forward to seeing your project in our challenge at

613 Avenue Create

Thanks so much for dropping by!

Hugz,

Chana Malkah

Stuff I Used

AALL&Create #407 - Chicken Dance

Mad Hatter Hat - Click to download