Only scary in a thunderstorm

What could be more ordinary than a duck paddling in the pond that is Asylum Anne's studio extension.  Steampunked with this great stamp from Chocolate Baroque.
Over the years and throughout the year, Tafta Fibre Forum hold week-long retreats at various places in Australia, and I've been wanting to go for 20+ years.  Got to one in Lismore a few years back, this September-October  it was off to Geelong for 5 days with Jen Crossley.  One of the Tafta traditions is for people to donate a piece of art 15cm x 15cm, and the other attendees to buy for $15.  The funds raised provide scholarships for others to attend these forums.  This is my offering:

What was scary was the builder taking part of the house roof off to blend in the Studio roof on the last fine day before a forecast of thundery squally rainy week!  As you know, a duck looks pretty relaxed on the water, no-one can see the feet paddling away at a great rate.  But a flash of lightning reveals the sweat dripping off this duck!

The heat-embossed stencil over the multi-colour painted background is from Artist Cellar.  The embossing powders are from both Seth Apter and Andy Skinner's ranges.  The sizzix die cut multiple cogs from a range of fabrics.  Note panne velvet curls under itself.
As for the sweat, that is 6+ layers of embossing powder - Seth's Antique beeswax is translucent, and builds up as though you were doing encaustic waxing.

You know we're always encouraging you to share your dark, offbeat makes with all our Dear Readers - just look right!

No Half Measures.

  Is the glass half full, or half empty, and depending on the contents, will it really matter?
Maybe what really matters is that at time of posting, we only need 3 more dark offerings, to award a prize.  Only THREE!!!

Journal page used a Seth Apter/Stencil Girl stencil, stamps from Chocolate Baroque, Paper Artsy, Andy Skinner

Those Irish Snakes and Evolution

I offered you snakes, they've taken rather a devious route and still haven't got where I expected, but maybe next year... in fact the more I pulled out to use, the more got left out.
Ireland being an island, how did the snakes get to other lands?  Browsing through my stamp collection, it struck me... they had to be able to swim.  And I got side-tracked, as I wondered what St Francis, Patron Saint of Animals, would have said to St Patrick about his evicting them from their home.  I saw them on a cloud, harps set aside for The Debate.  The Muse insisted I deal with that first:

A super-thick chippie cloud, some stencils, Pebeo black mica mortar, snake-skin-looking papers die-cut, the Lamb of God refereeing.  St Francis was a line drawing image google found for me.

  Stampamania snake coiled at the bottom.  Like the wobbly eyes?

It occurred to me these guys were behind the Pearly Gates, and the right gate stamp had just come up from Artfull Crafts in Timaru (one of the few shops maintaining a street presence in NZ and a well-stocked online store just changing ownership this month).  And for pearliness, some bubble acetate to stamp on:

Typical of this whole project, great idea, didn't fit the cloud!  Ah well, it'll turn up somewhere some day.
But at last, The Muse let me get back to snakes, swimming away.

You'll never look at an octopus the same way again - all those snakes sharing a brain cavity, no wonder they're so smart - there are 8 brains co-operating in there!

Butter Side Down portuguese man o war, moray eel

Viva las vegas stamps: St Patrick

Chocolate Baroque August undersea, steampunk funky fish set

Stencil Girl Jly/2014 Lets Get Cellular, L186 Coral, Jan'17 Club

Teesha Moore for the tiny tentacled beings

Heartfelt Creations Festive Gate

Cheery Lynn Lucy the Lamb

The only theme this month is Anything Goes Except Cute!!  And we really mean it - sweet, cute is, as always, OUT

Keep sharing your weird, your dark, your off-beat, 

your non-PC with us every month, with the linky for thIs month HERE: