21st Century Pillow Book

I did it again. I procrastinated. I waited until the 11th hour to get the Scrapbook Sketch Challenge for Smeared and Smudged done. But at least it’s done! And I am happy with the result! That counts for something right??? Here’s the sketch: So I of course adapted it to suit my needs… but I think I kept it fairly true to the original.   These pictures are from 2007, when we were in Michigan for my best friend’s wedding. Oh. My. Gods. I am just now realizing that I spelled Michigan wrong!!!!!!!!!!! And I went back and forth about it too… Is there an “i” in the middle or an “a”? And I was too lazy to look it up. Shoot! Guess I’ll have to go back and fix it. You won’t tell anyone will you??? ;} Anywho… spelling errors aside, I used FOUR different stamp companies on this one page! I don’t think I have ever used so many before! I used A-Muse, Time Flies, Paper Candy and Inkadinkado. Paper is from American Crafts, Prima, and Prism. Pen and inks are Color Box, Tombo and Sup...

I couldn’t resist. I was inspired! And as any artist should know, you can’t ignore inspiration, you have to indulge it! Otherwise, your muses will get pissed off and go elsewhere to give out their amazing ideas! So I couldn’t help myself but to make a second card for this week’s Macabre Mondays from Haunted Design House . The challenge is Gothic Asian Persuasion. I saw this amazing drawing from THIS blog that my friend Alex (fellow Smeared and Smudger ) recommended for digi images. I love kites…but this one was just begging to be hidden. I immediately saw a skull floating in the air, but alas, the skulls I have just didn’t work. Then I came across these fab bats that I love so much and thought that they were perfect! As you can see, I pop dotted them. I also used that funky black patterned paper that I had in my card from yesterday. Figured I’d tie the 2 cards together! I feel so much better now! I had been wanting to make this card all week. Itching to do it really… So I am so plea...

Hello! It is a very white Friday on Long Island. My husband stayed home, (which was great!) and I finally got to do my Macabre Monday card! This week’s challenge from Haunted Design House was “Gothic Asian Persuasion. What a fantastic challenge! I love that combination! I got to use two of my (seriously) all-time faves. What ‘till you get a load of these stamps! I needed to take a pic of the stamps themselves because they are just so amazing. Both are from Inkadinkado. I have always loved Asian-styled art. Especially Japanese. The simplistic brush strokes, the exquisite beauty they capture in everything… I could really go on and on about it. I even took a course in college about Japanese Lit because not only is their art amazing, so is their literature. Case in point; my blog name is taken from Japanese lit. You can learn about Pillow Books in my intro box above! But on to my card! So I repeated the bamboo several times in black, then in white. I made the white more subtle then the...

I have been working with a stamp from Faerie Song Art Stamps . They have been generous enough to supply the Smeared and Smudged Design Team with some of their wonderful stamps, as well as sponsor one of our contests. Please take a peek at their stamps! Some of them are really incredible! This is a very whimsical card (that’s what my husband said at least!). I think it came out really sweet. I started off by coloring the image, and then found the paper to coordinate after. I like the tiny faeries coloring the tea cup! Aren’t they cute? I colored the image in with my watercolor markers, and then added some Diamond Stickles to the wings. Sorry- it’s a little tough to see, but it looks really pretty! The green patterned paper (DCWV), also has a touch of glitter in it. It ties everything all together I think. The design on the tea cup works really well with the pattern on the paper. Added a nice bright pink grosgrain ribbon for a little more pop and voila! Now I am off to try...

What a wonderful bit of news I get to share with you today!!! I have been chosen to be July’s Featured Designer for Bombshell Stamps ! I am so excited about this!!! I have wanted to be a part of the Bombshell team for a while, and now I get that opportunity!!! These stamps are SO cool! I am all about retro stuff. Well, ok, I’m all about a lot of things… but retro/vintage is totally one of them!!! The ladies that I will be working with are super-duper talented (some of them are even from Smeared and Smudged ! Huge “”Hello!” to Kelli and Terra!!!). So, if you want to be inspired, then you will need to check out the creations of the Bombshell girls. Want to get started??? You are in luck! There just so happens to be a Bombshell Blog Hop going on today! Just click HERE to get started!!! Speaking of getting started, I can’t wait to get going’ with making some fab new things with my Bombshell stamps! I will be running out to my mailbox daily, hoping that they have arrived! So go on and che...

So, I’m trying something new here. I have a ton of ridiculous things that happen with my kids (as I’m sure all of you Mommies do!), so I decided to share the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let me know what you think! Today I’ll be writing about my boy. I have a journal that I keep with all sorts of random kid stuff, and I frequently add to my “Nix-Nax” section (get it??? As in Knick Knack but for Phoenix???). This is something that I really need to write in there, but I’ll shar with you first. Why? Such a simple word. But with endless possibilities. Especially in the eyes of a wee one like my Phoenix. He has hit the stage where he questions everything! And I am a bit surprised because I didn’t think it happened at age 3. Why do you do the laundry? -So you can have clean clothes. Why do I need clean clothes? -So you don’t wear dirty ones. Why don’t I wear dirty ones? -Because it’s nice to be in clean clothes. Why is it nice? And on, and on, and on… this is merely one tin...

I’m trying to kill a few birds with one stone here… I have a teeny-weeny amount of time so I’m gonna just jump right in. Macabre Monday 26 is called Vampy Vampyress. Would ya believe that I don’t have a she-vamp stamp??? And I had a heck of a time finding an image I wanted to use? My sis happened to find this pin-up style vamp on Deviant Art. She’s pretty cool, I think. It’s a bit tough to see her fangs, but trust me, they’re there! Also, I came upon another challenge blog this week through Blackdragon’s Blog. Darkness Inspiration is an awesome place for someone like me to be! They issued a challenge called Dark and sinister moon, which I think I am too late for, but wanted to make anyway. It was a quickie card, but this vamp seems to only want a quickie anyway don’cha think??? That’s all for now. Peace, love and vampires!

Hello!!! I have some exciting news to share with you! Smeared and Smudged (the totally unique and rad DT I'm on) is looking to add some new Design Team members!!! How cool is that? Below is all the info you need to apply. I grabbed this off the Smeared Ink blog. Take a peek! Try out! Join an insanley cool Design Team!!! Do you have a different way of looking at things when it comes to rubber stamping? Smeared Ink is looking to add 5 Design Team Members to the Smeared and Smudged team. Smeared Ink is a brand new rubber stamp company that will feature edgy, unique, wild, sometimes dark, and fun art stamps. We're looking for team members who are not afraid to think outside of the box and express themselves in interesting ways through their projects. To see some of the current DT members work, visit our forum at http://www.smearedandsmudged.ning.com/ Design Team Members art will be featured on the Smeared Ink Website, Smeared and Smudged Forum, and Smeared and Smudged Blog.Require...

The end is here. This is the Twilight Tuesday Farewell Blog Hop. And I can honestly say that I never thought I could have so much fun with people that I have never met! But before I start getting all mushy on you, let me share what Rebecca wrote on the TTIC Blog: Hey everyone! It’s Rebecca , bringing you something special for our last Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge. For this event, we’re doing a DT blog hop. Our challenge theme???? ” Love of books, the printed words on a page” since that is what brought us all together. I love to read the newspaper online but nothing beats a printed newspaper on Sunday mornings. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t abandon books (hardcover, softcover, or paperback) to a digital reader. Are you totally digital or do you prefer a good old fashioned printed page in your hands?” Creative portion: Create a project that uses printed text: a page from a magazine, book, dictionary, etc. within your project, as the background or focal point. The hop...

Hello! I have to say, I’m pretty sad about this post. This is the last Twilight Tuesday Sketch Challenge I get to share with you. As I mentioned before, I am really pretty miserable about the fact that my beloved TTIC is coming to an end. But, I want as many of you as possible to show TTIC a little bit of farewell love and participate in this great Sketch that my wonderful friend Dani made: You know the drill… make something fab with this sketch and post your link at the TTIC board. Plus, you can win some awesome blog candy from Artful INKables!!! Don’t pass this up! But first, take a peek at what I made! This adorable digi I have is from Beth’s Stamp Insanity line. I thought it would be very appropriate to use one of my fab Twi-Girls images! Ain’t she sweet? I love her! The sentiment was a gift from Tonya and is from Verve. I made a gloppy mess of the Lilac Stickles. I didn’t burp the bottle well enough at first, so I just decided to make a mess with it. But I think ...

Hello! It’s Friday evening, and I’m starting to wind down for the night. But, I wanted to share a layout that I made today with all of you. I had taken this picture of Nix over the Summer. I just love it. He’s so thoughtful and handsome in it. His hair is long and fabulously messy, his little lips look like those of a cherub’s. I don’t even remember what he was looking at. He’s in our backyard looking at a plane perhaps. Maybe a bird… Or maybe he’s just pondering the wonders of the universe. I actually printed out the title and little poem I wrote. I haven’t done that in ages. I have some really incredible fonts, but by the time I pick one out, then pick a color, then get the paper in and size it all right… it’s like next year! But this time I was lucky. I found a font that was perfect really quickly, and the blue was actually a stock color! I added the stud swirls (from Prima) to give the page even more movement then what the fantastic butterflies are already doing. The background p...

So here it is… my last Color Challenge for Twilight Tuesday. It was short lived, but it sure was fun!!! I wanted to make a color story for Jacob. Here it is and what I wrote on the TTIC Blog : Ok Wolf Girls! This one is for you!!! This challenge is "Jacob's Colors!" We have russet for his skin/fur, back for his long locks (until he chops it off of course!), and olive... well, not every color has to have a meaning! And I really thought that olive green looked great with the other 2 colors! So, have fun and enjoy! You do NOT have to make a Jacob project (although I KNOW that Beth would be thrilled if you do!), make anything you want using these 3 colors. Please join in for Twilight Tuesday's last Color Challenge! I am so glad that so many of you got so excited about these challenges. I am sorry that they have to end...  But, hopefully we will find each other in other challenge blogs! Can't wait to see what you create! PS: I want to give an extra special Than...

It is snowing outside. A lot. I think we may actually have a blizzard going on here on Long Island! Thankfully, my family is home and the kids are actually napping soundly- at the same time!!! Remember a couple of weeks back when I made my Fallen Angel card for Haunted Design Houses’s Fallen Angel Challenge? Well, I wanted to share the first card I made with the awesome-tastic stamp I won from Stamp It Crazy! But first, I really want you to click HERE to see Barb’s creation- which I am totally obsessed with and wish I could have as my own. ;} And here is mine: I’ll be honest… I just couldn’t get Barb’s card out of my head, so I had a tough time trying to do something different. I loved the idea of making her a zombie! But, since I own the stamp now, I can make her a zillion different ways!!! I love how her coloring came out. I think she’s beautiful… in a creepy sort of way! See her wings? I used fabric paint for them! I wanted them to look nice and globby (is that a word), to enhanc...

I am happy to be bringing you the 3rd Twilight Tuesday Color Challenge today! These are pretty different from the normal Twi-colors of red, black and white, so I am really excited about this challenge! Here’s what I wrote on the TTIC Blog: Here are the Bella and Edward’s Wedding Flowers! We’ve got Lilac, Orange Blossom (yes, for those of you with green thumbs out there, orange blossoms are actually white…but just work with me here ok? ) and finally, Rose. It’s a very soft palate. And I hate the winter… so I needed a pick me up with these colors! These are the lovely flowers Alice picked out for the Wedding. What a pretty combo of flowers don’tcha think? So create something soft and beautiful for this challenge. Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Like I said, different right? So here’s what I came up with: Now, I’m still sick with this awful cold… so the card is missing a little pizzazz… but at 9PM when I was working on this card last night, the pizzazz-making part of my bra...

I am sick. My kids and I have nasty colds. My husband was sick, and now it’s our turn. So, sadly this will be another quickie post. I made this card featuring another amazing Sweet Pea Stamps image- Fairy of the Night from Plate 29. The Design Team Members of Smeared and Smudged have been asked to create cards and things with some of ching-chou kuik’s fantasy images. How lucky we are!!! So I decided to tie this image in with Macabre Monday’ s latest challenge: Purple Haze. Please click on any image to see it bigger. I was so excited about this challenge because purple is one of my favorite colors. My other favorite color is teal, so I jumped at the chance to use them together! I think it is such a striking combination. I used Twinkle H20’s, colored pencils and chalk once again for the fairy. I just love using those 3 mediums together! I also used Staz-On in teal to stamp the background of the card. Added a couple of flowers for some more dimension too. I hope you can see all the sh...

Hey everybody! This is going to be a quickie post, as I’ve got 2 kids with runny noses and icky coughs. I wanted to share one of my favorite newborn layouts I’ve ever made. And it’s not even for my family!!! Here’s the deal. Hospital lighting sucks. Doesn’t matter how beautiful your skin is. If you are a visitor or the patient. You’re gonna look kinda sick in a hospital. It’s that nasty yellow-ish lighting. So, pictures just come out looking, well, yellow. I know that people try to go with the pristine blues and pinks for a newbornn page… but it’s just not going to look good with that gross lighting. So, don’t fight it! Go with muted down hues of pink or blue (if you’re even in to the traditional baby colors-I am not.). Go for papers with an ivory hue to them instead of a stark white. Here I used papers from MME and Cosmo Cricket. So, the moral of the story is. Don’t fight the yellow! Work with it to make a beautiful page. Yeah, it may not be “traditional” baby, but it su...

Hello! I have one of my latest Sweet Pea Stamps creations for you today. This image is called Midnight Waiting and it is from ching- chou kuik’s Fantasy Art Collection, Plate #29. I was really inspired by one of the Sweet Pea design team members, Randi Wall. She posted an awesome tutorial, click HERE to see it. Now, I don’t use Copics as you all know by now, so I adapted the look to fit the coloring tools that I do use. I used chalks, colored pencils, a dash of Stickles and a dab of Stardust pens. You’ll see that I gave the fairy a gray wash, sort of like Randi’s. Here’s a close up: I wanted the fairy to be very soft. He dress is bold, but her skin, her hair, her wings… soft. Please click on the pictures to see them bigger. Although my version is obviously quite different from Rand'i’s, you can see that the inspiration came from her. I love the look she came up with so I needed to make my own version! You can see the sparkle a bit better here. So there you have it! Now I am of...

Yay! Its Tuesday! Time for another fab Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge ! This week our challenge comes from the brilliant and super talented mind of my friend Donna. Here is what she wrote: With Valentines day fast approaching and everybody in a lovey dovey, touchy feely kinda mood, I thought the most obvious thing I could challenge you all to is to create a Valentine’s day card for your favorite Twilight Saga character *sigh*…Rob…I mean…Edward….What?? A girl can dream can’t she??!! …But then I thought….Nar, too easy! So this is what I would like you to do…. Craft Portion: Make a VALENTINE’S card/project for your favorite character or for your valentine… but…. with texture!! That’s right I want you to add things like lace, raised embossing, distressed edges, fuzzy fibers, metal, cloth, cracked glass, leather, flower soft, sandpaper, anything that adds texture! Comment Portion: Tell us your favorite Valentine’s story…Or if you haven’t got one, Tell us who you would like ...