Weekly Blockheads Blog Candy & Gift Certificate Up for Grabs!

Hello Bloggers!

2014 UPDATE:
BLOCKHEADS IS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS SO ALL LINKS HAVE BEEN REMOVED

You've probably noticed the niffy new Blockheads Blog Candy blinkie in my right hand side bar already so here's the scoop on what that is all about ;0)

Blockheads Paper Arts is now sponsoring a weekly chance to win some Blog Candy, Woohoo!
Simply add their Blog Candy Banner to your side bar for a chance to win the free stamp of the week! The stamp changes each Sunday evening after winners are selected.  For now we want you to have a roughly 1 in 10 chance of winning.  So if we get 20 particpants we'll select 2 winners and if there are 30, we'll select 3.

To add their banner to the side bar on your blogger page, simply enter design mode and click to add a widget.  Select the HTML/JavaScript widget type and enter the the code into the Content Box (Title is optional).  Click here for the code!  Including the code in your blog post will add the banner which then links to the Blockheads' Blog!

Once you've done that go to Blockheads' Blog and add your blog URL link via the "add your link" button.

Would you like the chance to get even more goodies from Blockheads Paper Arts?
Then read on to find out how you can win an additional $10 gift certificate :0)

If you are one of the random winners and the link you've submitted by clicking the "add your link" button goes directly to a post on your blog with this banner and a nice comment about Blockheads with a link to their web page, Blockheads Paper Arts, you will also be eligible to win an additional $10 gift certificate.  Stacey, the owner of Blockheads, is only asking for truthful comments so if you've ordered from them you can say what you like about their service.  If you haven't ordered from them your comment can simply be that you like a particular set of stamps or an item they carry.  Feel free to add any pictures of their products from their website in your blog post with links directly to them.  Only one gift certificate will be given away weekly so if multiple winners have linked to such a post, they will pick one of them to win the gift certificate.

Kudos for Blockheads!

If you aren't a Blockhead already then I guarantee you will be once you've visited their website!  I've been a Blockhead since as far back as 2002 and possibly earlier ;0)  Stacey will look after you and your order with the utmost care, you couldn't ask for better service.  She is a magician with shipping too coz I'm just amazed at the speed in which I receive my orders!

Blockheads has an exclusive stamp line which I promote in my design team creations!  They also carry other popular stamp companies too:  Lost Coast Designs, My Heart Stamps for You, OnxyXpressions and the coveted Tim Holtz Collection to name a few.  They also carry a wide selection of the most popular "must have" goodies as well as much loved favourites that have stood the test of time.  So grab your favourite beverage, sit back and enjoy a visit to Blockheads Paper Arts!

Domino Hugs!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Leigh S-B Designs Blog

Velvet Paw Creations

New DMT Challenge for March - The D'ART Stenciling Technique!

Greetings Dominoians!

It's time for March's DMT which stands for DominoART's Monthly Technique!
This month I challenge you to try using a stencil or a template to create a design on a domino or any other similar game tile!  I'm calling this one the "D'ART Stenciling Technique".

Play around with all the possibilities and have fun experimenting with this concept.  Then create something with your altered game tile - add it to a card, a tag, an ATC or make a piece of jewelry with it.  Then share your experience and project photos on the DominoART Yahoo Group or the DominoART Facebook Page.

If you have a blog and post your project there then please use the inlinkz button below to share your project with us all here on the DominoART Blog - you must mention the D'ART Stenciling Technique Challenge and link back to us here!  It's a text only set up so no thumbnail pics will appear.  Please only use the direct URL to your project and not just a general link to your home page, any general links will be removed.

If we get enough interest in this months DMT then I will have a prize up for grabs!
So please come and play with us, the more the merrier!

Here's my project featuring the Mini Numbers Collage Template by Crafter's Workshop which was provided by Blockheads Paper Arts.

Numerology DominoART Card

The theme for my DominoART card is Numerology which is a branch of knowledge that deals with the occult significance of numbers.  I had a ball playing around with the various elements and think this card would be suitable for someone who is into Numerology or just as an all occasion card.  You could really personalize it to a number or a date that is significant like a birthday, anniversary or a graduation date.  The possibilities truly are limitless!

Trace the outline of the Mini Numbers Collage onto the domino with an ultra fine black Sharpie marker and colour in the numbers.  You don't have to use a Crafter's Workshop Template for this challenge.  Just experiment with any kind of stencil or template you have already but you might want to check out all the awesome Crafter's Workshop Templates available from Blockheads Paper Arts though coz they've got some really nice ones ;0)

Apply metallic silver Rub-ons cream to the sides and the edge of the domino and seal with a couple of light mistings of Krylon Artist's Workable Fixative spray.  Apply black glitter glue to the numbers you wish to highlight.

In the photo about you can see the metallic silver sides and the dimension of the glitter glue.

Make a folded card from black cardstock while you wait for the glitter glue to dry on the domino.
To create the mini numbers collage background ink up the back of the template with Versamark Watermark ink.  Apply the ink directly to the template with the ink pad and be as generous as possible with the ink so the template is nice and wet.  Lay the template ink side down onto the black cardstock and cover the template with a piece of paper towel to protect your brayer.  Roll the brayer across the template multiple times with a nice even firm pressure.  Apply silver Perfect Pearls powder to the wet ink.

 I've been experimenting with Crafter's Workshop Templates for Blockheads Paper Arts' design team using various products to create interesting backgrounds and effects.  I've got a few projects up on my blog at Leigh SB Designs if you want to check them out too!

Emboss a piece of semi-glossy black cardstock with a Cuttlebug numbers embossing folder.  Cut a narrow panel and then apply a light coat of metallic silver Rub-ons cream to the embossed numbers and to all four edges of the panel.

Adhere the embossed panel to the card front with double-sided tape.  Add a metallic silver border sticker down the left hand side of the card leaving a narrow black border on the outer edge.

Adhere the domino to the card front with glue dots.

Embellish the upper portion of the card with silver cord wrapped around the card three times and tied in a knot.  Finish off with silver beads and knot the ends of the cord.

I put some thought into how I designed this card and you might have noticed that I emphasized certain numbers in subtle ways ;0)  The number 3 is important - I used 3 different surfaces, the cord is wrapped 3 times, the large number 3 is prominent, 2 x 3 = 6 and 3 x 3 = 9.  Which also picks up on the 2 and 9 on the domino, the 2 on the background panels and the 2 beads.  The number 5 is also prominent...how you are wondering?  Well 2 + 3 = 5 and also 1 - 6 = 5 of course, which you can see on the right hand side of the card ;0)  The domino itself is significant coz 2 + 9 = 11.  The number 11 has followed my sister around her entire life and hence has become an important number in our family and certain things have happened on that date or time in recent years and that's why I chose to use that part of the stencil!

I really enjoyed making this project and hope you will enjoy creating your own Stencil inspired artwork and enter your projects in the D'ART Stenciling Technique challenge!

Domino Hugs!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Leigh S-B Designs Blog

Velvet Paw Creations

Who is up for a Challenge? Join me for the Chalk Attraction Technique Challenge which is this months DMT!

Hello Dominoians!
Happy New Year to you all!  I spent my Christmas with my family in the UK and had a fabulous time :0)  I hope you all had wonderful holidays too and are now ready to get 2012 going in the land of DominoART!  So spread the word far and wide ;0)

I'm starting off the new year with one of DominoART's favourite activities, the DMT aka DominoART's Monthly Technique and February's technique is called Chalk Attraction aka Poppin' Pastels!

Painted Butterflies DominoART Card

I'm hosting the Blockheads Paper Arts' Technique Challenge Blog Hop right now and I'm bringing the fun of using chalks and Versamark Watermark over to DominoART for you all to enjoy too and as an added bonus you have the chance to win a $25 gift certificate from Blockheads Paper Arts if you take the challenge!

For the Challenge I demonstrated how to use Chalks to create backgrounds, to colour stamped images and to adapt the technique to die cuts and embossed designs.  Visit Blockheads' Chalk Attraction Technique Challenge page for my tutorial.  You can also see the Valentine's Day card I made using all the various elements on my blog!

This technique is perfect for those of you who like to have instant Wow results without a lot of work or a lot of specialized supplies.  I love doing this technique on game pieces and I think you'll have loads of fun with this one.  It's super versatile and can be adapted to suit any of your projects!

Please visit the Blockheads Blog for all the details regarding the Technique Challenge.  Join the Blog Hop by February 21st for a chance to win the $25 gift certificate.  You don't have to use Blockheads stamps to qualify but it would be cool if you did ;0)  You also don't have to include a domino/game tile in your project either but it would be super awesome if you did that too!!

Now I'm going to show you how you can use the technique on dominoes or any other game tile for that matter!  So grab your supplies and lets get stamping!

 All the stamps I used are exclusive to Blockheads Paper Arts
Painted Butterflies set
Supplies for the Domino:
Versamark Watermark ink pad
Pearl Ex Powders
or
Decorative Chalks or Pebbles Chalks
Judikins Diamond Glaze
or
Inkssentials Glossy/Matte Accents (scroll down for the Ranger products)
Krylon Artist's Workable Fixative spray
Metallic Gold Paint Pen
Soft bristle brushes

Start off by stamping directly onto a shiny untreated domino with Versamark Watermark ink.
You don't need to do anything special to the surface of the domino before stamping so just grab a new one from your tin.  For my Chalk Attraction Challenge tutorial I concentrated on using chalks and now I'm going to use Pearl Ex powders on the domino but you can use chalks instead if you don't have Pearl Ex.  While the Versamark ink is still wet gently brush on the powders randomly.  I used 3 colours on the domino in the photo above:  Duo Red-Blue Interference, Super Russet and Sunset Gold.  For applying the powders to dominoes I suggest using a soft bristle brush like the Perfect Pearls ones instead of sponge applicators because the ink smears easily on the shiny surface.  Use a larger brush to gently brush off the excess powder.  Imagine you're on CSI and you're putting powder on finger prints - use the brush the same way they do on the shows in gentle swirly swishy movements ;0)  The result is quite beautiful.  The Pearl Ex powders change colour and look like molten metallics depending on the angle and how the light hits the domino!  I tried to show you that in the photos above but they just don't look as yummy as the real thing.

Chalk Tip:  If you plan to try the technique out with your Decorative or Pebbles chalks then scrape some of the chalk off each colour so you've got a powder to use!

I also stamped up all 4 sides with a splat design and edged the domino with a metallic gold paint pen before sealing the entire domino with a few coats of Artist's Workable Fixative spray.  It's then safe to apply a coat of your favourite sealer like Judikins Diamond Glaze or Inkssentials Glossy/Matte Accents.

So that's how to do the technique on dominoes, I hope you'll give it a try and consider joining the Technique Challenge for the chance to win an awesome prize!  The more that you guys join in the DominoART activities I have planned for you this year the more I can bring you fun Challenges with prize opportunities like this one :0)

On to my card....I decided to make a clean and simple card to showcase my beautiful domino and further demonstrate the stunning effect of the Pearl Ex Powders.

Click on the Continue Reading link below if you want to see how I made my card but first here's a summary of the Chalk Attraction Technique Challenge Blog Hop with awesome examples by my design team mates for you to see!

Blockheads' Naughty Christmas Mice - Wood Ornament featuring Sharpie Coloured Game Pieces by Leigh S-B!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Last week I shared my tradition of making Sharpie coloured porcelain Christmas tree ornaments on my blog and now I'm here today with another two-sided Christmas ornament but this one is a lazor-cut wooden one with a two sided Sharpie coloured game tile center piece!

I'm sharing the altered game tile part of this tutorial here on DominoART and if you'd like to see how I made the wood ornament too then please pop on over to Leigh S-B Designs for the full tutorial!

 The two naughty mice causing havoc on the Christmas tree from Blockheads Paper Arts' Figgy Pudding stamp sheet are the featured images on the Lexigo game tiles.  If you're crazy about altering game pieces like me then you're probably familiar with the Chekit game!  The cream coloured game tiles are now hard to come by so I was particularly excited to find the Lexigo game that has the same shape pieces but are just slightly smaller and have letters on the back instead of patterns!

 I used the following supplies to create this wonderfully fun but still elegant Christmas tree ornament!

I call this a Christmas tree ornament but you could totally hang this on a display stand as a featured ornament in your home too!

Congratulations to the Winner of 31 Days of Halloween 2011!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I hope all our US readers had a great day and are enjoying their holiday weekend ;0)

It's time to announce the WINNER of our 31 Days of Halloween Contest
and give kudos to the TOP 3!

and the WINNER is

Sandra and Yohan!

Congratulations you won the contest on Day 18 with your spooktacular

"The Halloween Parade"

 Grab this blog badge to proudly display on your blog!!
Here's the URL to link to your project:
http://dominoartblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/day-18-of-31-days-of-halloween.html
Please email me with your name and snail address to receive your prize!

Congratulations to the following participants who all tied into the TOP 3 with the most votes!
Display this TOP 3 badge on your blogs!

Day 4 - Skeleton Domino Book also by Sandra

Day 16 - Ouija Board Domino Necklace by Pilar F

Day 17 - Domino Book by JoAnne

Day 19 - Vintage Domino Pick by Charlotte

Day 20 - Book of Halloween Domino Book by Evelyne

Day 24 - Spider Domino Necklace by Jennifer

Day 28 - Witch's Secret Force Vessel also by Jennifer

Day 31 - Keeper of Lost Souls by Leigh S-B - just a little pat on the back for me LOL ;0)

You can grab your Day links from the left hand side bar!

Thank you to everyone who participated, all the domino and game piece related artwork was truly spooktacular and I appreciate you sharing your artwork on DominoART!

See you next Halloween ;0)

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Velvet Paw Creations

LeighSBDesigns Blog

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

It's time to vote in the DominoART 31 Days of Halloween Contest!

Greetings Dominoians,

The Polls for our 31 Days of Halloween extravaganza are now open for voting!

You can vote here on the DominoART Blog or on the DominoART yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dominoart/polls

The Contest Entries are here on the Blog, the links to each Day and the featured
project can be found in the left hand sidebar.

I will combine the results from both polls. You've got 9 days to vote and then
I will announce the winner. The winner will receive a prize from me ;0)

Yes, my projects are included in the Polls only so that I can see how much you
guys like them ;0)

We didn't get many comments on the projects so please feel free to comment while
you're checking out all the Halloween eye-candy and let the artists know 

how much you like their creations!

You do need to be a follower of the blog to be able to comment.

Good luck everyone!

Domino Hugs!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Leigh S-B Designs Blog

Velvet Paw Creations

The Finale of 31 Days of Halloween - "Keeper of Lost Souls" Super-sized Mixed Media Domino Sculpture by Leigh S-B!

 It's Day 31 of our Spooktacular 31 Days of Halloween extravaganza!

I hope everyone has enjoyed checking out all the DominoART eye-candy all month long!
It has been a real treat and I want to thank everyone for sharing their wonderful DominoART creations with us!  Each project is listed by day in the left hand sidebar if you've missed some projects.  Just click on the artist's name and the link will take you straight to the featured project!

During the first week of November I will be hosting a 31 Days of Halloween Contest!  Every single featured project will be entered into the contest and the winner will receive a prize sponsored by me ;0)  I will be creating a Poll on the DominoART Yahoo group and here on the DominoART blog for you to vote for your favourites.  I will then tally the 2 polls and announce the winner so stay tuned!

So without any further delay here's the grand finale creation for Day 31 of Halloween by me!

Keeper Of Lost Souls

 The Keeper of Lost Souls is a Nature Goddess and she protects the souls of people who have left this world but they're missing and are still waiting to be found by their loved ones.
   
This is an eerie mixed media sculpture that incorporates a skeleton with an altered super-sized domino and is a Third Coast Creative Coterie design team project.

I used a portion of the gorgeous rubber stamp image called Bromberrie's Web (VW-019-N) available from Third Coast Rubber Stamps which can be found in the Summer 2006 catalog.  Isn't she stunning!!
 

 SUPPLIES

Bromberrie's Web (VW-019-N) by Third Coast Rubber Stamps
Adirondack Lights Alcohol Inks:  Lake Mist, Cool Peri and Juniper
Alcohol Inks Applicator Tool
StazOn Jet Black ink pad
Super-sized domino
Sharpie markers - Lilac and Dandelion
Colorless Blender Design Art Marker
White Air Dry Modeling Clay
Inkssentials Matte Accents
Skeleton - Michaels
Crafter's Pick The Ultimate glue
Craft wire
Heat It embossing tool

 I used a super-sized domino as the central part of my sculpture and removed the decals on the front of the domino with a Colorless Blender Design Art Marker.  This marker contains Xylene so please make sure you use it in a well ventilated area to avoid breathing in the fumes!  Super-sized dominoes are 1.5 x 2.5 inches in size and say super-sized on the tin - don't confuse them with the jumbo dominoes!

 Apply three different Adirondack Alcohol Inks to the entire domino (front, back and sides) to create a polished stone effect.  I started with Lake Mist as the main foundation colour and then added small amounts of Cool Peri and Juniper.  The overall effect looks like lichen and moss on stone.
I then applied a coat of Inkssentials Matte Accents to the entire domino and let it dry.  I prefer to seal the domino before stamping the image to ensure I get a good stamped impression.

Stamp the image onto the domino with Jet Black StazOn ink and heat set.

Stamp the sides of the domino with different sections of the foliage from the left side of the stamp image and heat set.

I added small touches of colour to just the flowers in Bromberrie's hair and one of two flowers on the sides of the domino with Lilac and Dandelion Sharpie markers then applied another coat of matte sealer to protect the image.

The 'front' of the domino where the decals were is now the back of the piece and I left that side unstamped.  I assembled the skeleton arms and legs and secured the arms together with wire and did the same to the legs.  I attached them to the back of the domino with small pieces of painter's tape while I applied a coat of The Ultimate glue to the back of the domino and then molded a back for the piece from air dry clay to hide and secure the leg and arm joints to the domino.  The glue helps adhere the clay to the domino.  I left the clay the natural colour coz it matches the colour of the bones.  Let the clay dry and then adhere the skull to the domino with The Ultimate Glue and you're done.  The sculpture could also be a hanging ornament too and all you would need to do is embed a hook in the clay before it dries.

 So that concludes our 1st DominoART 31 Days of Halloween extravaganza!  

This will now be an annual event so keep your beady eyes out for 31 Days of Halloween 2012!!

Best Witches for a spooktacular Halloween Everyone!
Enjoy!

Domino Hugs!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Leigh S-B Designs Blog

Velvet Paw Creations

Day 30 of 31 Days of Halloween - 'Witch & Kitty' Domino Pendant by Pilar F!

Greetings on our penultimate Day of 31 Days of Halloween!

Pilar F is back again with a double treat for you all!

She's sharing a lovely 'Witch And Kitty' Domino Pendant and a spooktacular 'Jack Skellington' altered Backgammon game piece today!

The Domino Pendant

Pilar decoupaged the witch graphic onto the domino and drilled holes into the top and bottom to turn it into a pendant.   She added sparkle glaze and coloured the sides of the domino gold with a DecoColor paint pen and sealed the whole piece with a coat of Crystal Lacquer.  She finished off her cute pendant with a beaded dangle.

The Backgammon Pin

Pilar made this spooktacular 'Jack Skellington' pin from a Backgammon game piece!
Jack's face is just perfect for this game piece!

She decoupaged the Jack Skellington graphic on to the Backgammon and highlighted his eyes with Sparkle Glaze.  She sealed the piece with a coat of crystal lacquer and glued a pinback to the back to turn it into a pin.

If you've missed any of Pilar's eye-candy then check them out on Day 2, Day 7, Day 11, Day 16 and Day 22!  Pilar sure has been busy cooking up a storm in her DominoART cauldron of delights!!

Stay tuned for Day 31, the finale of our spooktacular 31 Days of Halloween extravaganza!!

Domino Hugs!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Leigh S-B Designs Blog

Velvet Paw Creations

Day 29 of 31 Days of Halloween - 'Pumpkin Head' Doublecross-Chekit Monster Ornament by Charlotte F!

Howzit Stampers!

On the 29th Day of Halloween Charlotte F, who is a member of our DominoART Yahoo Group, joins us again to share her spooktacular monster ornament that is part Chekit and part Doublecross Domino.....eeeek!  Run for the Hills!

SUPPLIES

Chekit Game Piece

Doublecross Domino (a wood domino that has been discontinued)
Ancient Page Coal Black ink
Black ribbon

Green wire
Image from Sun Spirit and words from Inca Stamps (Both of whom are out of business)
Green, Blue, Orange and Black Sharpies
Red Distress Stain
Krylon Fixative and Glaze

Charlotte stamped the image and words onto the Doublecross domino with Coal Black Ancient Page dye ink.  She then stamped just the head portion on the Chekit and colored with Sharpie markers.  

She stained the back of the Doublecross domino with Red Distress Stain.  Then she hand wrote the number '29' onto the Chekit for the date.  She sprayed both pieces with fixative and then the
glaze and glued the two pieces together with the ribbon sandwiched between to form the hanger.
She finished off by drilling a tiny hole for the twisted wire and glued it in place.

Stay tuned for Day 30 coz Pilar F is back to share another one of her cauldron concoctions!

Domino Hugs!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Leigh S-B Designs Blog

Velvet Paw Creations

Day 28 of 31 Days of Halloween - 'Witch's Secret Force Vessel' by Jennifer W!

Hello Stampers!

It's Day 28 of 31 Days of Halloween and Jennifer W, a member of our DominoART Yahoo Group,  joins us again today to plunge us into the mystical world of a Witch and her Secret Force Vessel.

 Jennifer says:
"Today I have a Witch's Secret Force Vessel to share with you. This is a very special container forged from the witch's bloodstone, created to hold her special power once she has moved on to the next plane. To create this vessel the very stone from the table which the witch worked til her fingers bled, toiled, and practiced her magic is carved into small slabs and formed into the vessel shortly before her demise. A spell is cast upon it calling the witch's spirit into it and then it seals shut, storing her life force for eternity. This box was found deep within a witch's cave still clutched in her hand, although many have tried no one has been able to separate the two.

Ok, so it is a box made from dominoes but I thought it was a pretty cool idea. It takes eight dominoes and Amazing Goop adhesive to assemble the box. I took henna colored Ancient Page ink and distressed the edges, then using a brown and tan fine point bic marker I did hash marks all around the edges of each domino and then inked over them with the henna.

For the lid I stamped Secret Force in runes from Third Coast Rubber Stamps in henna, colored with the hash marks and distressed over it all.

Next came the heat gun to dry and set the ink, then I took a Versa Dazzle Champagne ink pad and wet the side of the box and sprinkled a bit of UTEE (just a sugaring, it gives it a cool bubbly texture). Heat set the embossing powder and move on to the next side. I did the same thing with the lid. Afterward I hit the whole thing with some Rust-oleum crystal enamel and allowed it to dry.

On the under side of the lid I positioned some sticky flat back pearls to keep it from sliding around too much.

TIP:  Skull hands:  You can pick up the hands from a party supply store, they have them listed on amazon.com too.  Just attach it with the goop and you have a spooky prop."

Stay tuned for Day 29 coz Charloltte F is back to share another one of her cauldron concoctions!

Domino Hugs!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Leigh S-B Designs Blog

Velvet Paw Creations