The sweetest little witch...

I love love love this little ATC created by Michele Storms! This little witch girl with her red hat and black cat is one of my favorite Victorian Halloween images, and Michele has added just the perfect wings and tiny black flower, against a red and black background and big friendly vintage harvest moon. 

This trio (witch, cat & moon!) are here to remind you that All Hallow's Eve is very near... and that means you have just a few more days to show us your Gothic/Halloween-themed cards and creations in my challenge ~ enter for your chance to win $15 credit at Lunagirl.com. You know you need some goodies for the upcoming Winter months. Cold days and long nights are the perfect time for crafting :-)

MICHELE STORMS: the cute little vintage witch is from the "witching hour" collage sheet and her wings are from the "gothic wings" collage sheet. the moon is from "harvest moon" and the background is from the "gothic backgrounds -red" collage sheet, all by Lunagirl.  i have a little bit black vine ribbon and a silvery flower (a brad) as accents on this ATC.

Goth-tober Challenge... You're Invited!

Trick-or-treat paper dolls created by Patti Robinson... these Gothic girls received a makeover and some slightly creepy friends for my Goth-tober challenge! There are still a few days left, plenty of time to link up your gothic creations. They can be spooky or sweet, dark or just slightly off-kilter ~ as we get closer to Halloween, anything goes for Gothic!

My Gothic Theme continues until Halloween!

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

The weather's getting colder, the nights are getting longer... and we are closer every day to All Hallow's Eve. It's the perfect time to join us in our Gothic theme...

The Design Team continues to inspire ... enjoy this digital collage by Corinne Marie, and amazing altered photo album by Patti Robinson!

Link up your Gothic/Halloween-inspired creations: cards, jewelry, altered art, digital, fabric, all media welcome for a chance to win the drawing and $15 credit at Lunagirl.com.

PATTI ROBINSON pattirobinsonart.com/blog
Vintage Mixed Media Photo Album

Gothic Challenge: Week Three

Our Gothic mood continues here at Lunagirl Moonbeams, as we move through October, and toward Halloween. I hope you will join us.

MICHELE STORMS Art From the Well

Beautiful work, don't you think? Show us yours! The Gothic challenge continues until October 31, and every entry has a chance to win $15 store credit at Lunagirl.com, to add some new digital goodies to your stash. Enter up to three times, all media and all crafts welcome!

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

The DT is working with a couple of favorites Lunagirl collage sheets: Edwardian Gothic and Medieval Gothic, plus some NEW Gothic Fairy Wings and Victorian Gothic backgrounds that I've recently added. Later this month you may see some Halloween witches...

More lovely work from the DT... Gothic for October

This beautiful mixed media piece by Patti Robinson is called "The Moth" ... 

It captures a "Gothic" mood beautifully, don't you think? Memory, mystery... be sure to go read Patti's blog post 

"Moths Are the Souls of the Departed?" inspired by this piece!

And be sure to link up your own Gothic-inspired creation for my Goth-tober challenge. 

(Moth-tober? ~ sorry I couldn't resist!)

GOTH-TOBER continues!

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

There's plenty of time, because my Gothic challenge continues the whole month of October... all the way until Halloween! Here is more work by my talented Design Team, to get your creativity flowing.

MICHELE STORMS Art From the Well

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne
When you look at all of the DT inspiration for this challenge, notice how Corinne has used this same evocative face in several different works of art... I love that!

Gothic Inspiration for You

Shelby Pizzarro Sisterhood of the Muse

More wonderfully Gothic inspiration from the Design Team... "The Letter"... digital collage art by Shelby Pizzarro.

I hope you'll visit her blog Sisterhood of the Muse to read the story she shares to go along with this image!

The weather here in the Eastern U.S. (where Shelby is and also where I am) has been rainy, dark, damp and gloomy this week ~ the gray skies are a perfect backdrop for the leaves that are just starting to turn yellow and red, and also a perfect atmosphere for the Gothic mood of our challenge!

I don't know what it's like where you are, but I hope you'll get inspired by the DT creations, or a moody song or spooky movie... or a Poe story, or an antique object or image you come across... maybe just by a rainy day... and join us for this challenge.

October Challenge Theme: GOTHIC

In October the leaves get more colorful but the mood turns a little darker as we move into the darker skies, shorter days, and reflective, pensive, bittersweet feeling of Autumn... and of course it's time to be thinking of Halloween and all things spooky. So for this month I thought we would do the theme of GOTHIC.

I like to pick themes that can be interpreted in different ways and inspire everyone to find their own interpretation. The Design Team has gotten us off to a wonderful start, as always, with their inspiration below.

The DT is working with a couple of favorites Lunagirl collage sheets: Edwardian Gothic and Medieval Gothic, plus some NEW Gothic Fairy Wings and Victorian Gothic backgrounds that I've recently added. Later this month you may see some witches appear... 

If you need ideas or inspiration for this theme, here are more digital collage sheets with "Gothic" themes to take a look at. Gothic can be dark, mysterious, spooky, creepy, steampunk, medieval, sorrowful, shady, moody, shadowy, or all of the above!

I can't wait to see what you create ~ link up your entries below. 

CHALLENGE GUIDELINES:

Challenge ends at 2:00 pm CST on October 31- you know what day that is!

Any craft or medium is welcome.

Vintage style is encouraged but not required.

Use a Lunagirl image and your entry will count twice in the drawing!

Link to this blog and to Lunagirl.com on your site if you have one.

Prize:  Winner will be selected randomly to receive a $15 credit at Lunagirl.com!

I love it when you use Lunagirl images, and I hope you'll go take a look at my collections... but that's not a requirement!  But do remember that if you use a Lunagirl image, you will be entered TWICE in the drawing! I welcome everyone and every style but also want to give a little something extra to my wonderful customers! Most important is have fun, get creative, and enjoy vintage style. 

An InLinkz Link-up

LUNAGIRL MOONBEAMS DESIGN TEAM

Welcome to our newest DT member PATTI ROBINSON.
She starts us off beautifully this month with this gorgeous altered altoid tin.
Be sure to visit her blog Patti Robinson Art to read about her creative process
for this piece ~ and she has great posts in general about art and creativity!

MICHELE STORMS Art From the Well

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

CORINNE MARIE Digital by Corinne

 Vicki Romaine Cheerful Stamp Pad

Gothic Wings: New Digital Collage Sheet

And here is another new digital collage sheet featuring wings!

This one is Gothic Fairy Wings ~ altered butterfly wings, dragonfly wings, and even bat wings, in suitably "gothic" feeling shades of green, purple, red, and of course black and grey...
http://lunagirl.com/collections/new-releases/products/gothic-wings-digital-collage-sheet

This one works for my current Fairies & Mermaids challenge, which continues until September 30 (you still have time to enter!)...
and also for my next challenge theme, which begins October 1. That next theme will be "Gothic." But let's not get ahead of ourselves... create and link up your Fairies and Mermaids!

Challenge Winner: Vintage Gothic

It's time to announce the winner of the random drawing for the Vintage Gothic challenge...  With three entries, all of which used Lunagirl Images, the odds were ever in her favor... the fabulous Wendy Lynn of Paper Whims wins the drawing with entry #2, her Gothic Bride Shrine Tag!

Congrats to you, Wendy -- you've won a $10 shopping credit at Lunagirl.com, just in time to pick some summertime images!  And thank you for all your lovely entries in my challenges.

Thanks to all who played, and congratulations to everyone for your gorgeously spooky and evocative work.


Some Moonbeams challenges news: 
Lunagirl Moonbeams challenges will take a little break for the month of June, while Lunagirl goes on vacation!
Be sure to join us for the next challenge starting on JULY 7
on the fun theme of VINTAGE SEASHORE & BATHING BEAUTIES!

Vintage Gothic Reminder

One last reminder to enter my VINTAGE GOTHIC blog challenge! Don't miss your chance to win the drawing for $10 credit at Lunagirl.com -- pick some new digital collage sheets to play with, or get any of my image collections at a really nice price!

For inspiration, enjoy this lovely tag by Mandy Chilvers -- another fabulously gothic vintage lady.  Mandy shows us that gothic can still be colorful!

Check out the other entries here, and link up your own. You have until Sunday noon CST :-)

Vintage Gothic: Second Week

As my VINTAGE GOTHIC challenge continues all this week, until Sunday noon CST, here is more inspiration from the Lunagirl Moonbeams Design Team.  You have plenty of time to link up your own Vintage Gothic inspired creation for chance to win the drawing and some shopping credit at Lunagirl.com.

Some DT News:
It's with a heavy heart that I must announce that Petra Berendsen is leaving the Lunagirl DT.  She will be missed! It has been a joy to have Petra on the team and enjoy the gorgeous work she has done for each challenge.  I hope that she will be visiting us here again soon.  Best wishes to you, Petra!

MANDY CHILVERS

MICHELE STORMS:
a little darker this week -- i call this the "ghostly child" :)

VICKI ROMAINE:
I went a little lighter this time.  Hope you are having a great weekend.

Challenge continues until Sunday, June 1!

VINTAGE GOTHIC blog challenge

Something a little different.... our next blog challenge theme is Vintage Gothic.  I've always been fond of all things a little dark and melancholy, mysterious and antique, whether haunted rooms or haunted lovers.  As a kid my favorite song was "Rhiannon" (yes, I date myself with that). I liked sad romances and spooky old photos and film noir. I had fun creating my take on Vintage Gothic with the challenge badge.  I hope you'll have fun with this theme, too, however you interpret it!

The Design Team will be working with images from the following collage sheets (and they're also the source for the images I used above):  Lunagirl Edwardian Gothic, Vintage Gothic, and Backgrounds: Interiors.  You can also visit my Gothic and Medieval category for inspiration -- and be sure to use Discount Code "moonbeams" at checkout to get 10% off everything in Gothic/Medieval!

Here are the guidelines for this challenge:

• This challenge (#28) will end at Noon (Central Time) on June1. 
• Any craft or medium is OK,
• No more than 3 entries from one person in each challenge, 
• Vintage style is encouraged, and 
• Please link to this blog and Lunagirl.com on your site if you have one.
• Prize:  The winner will be selected randomly to win a $10 coupon for Lunagirl.com! 

• Of course I love if you use at least one Lunagirl.com product, and I hope you'll go take a look at my collection... but that's not a requirement!  
• However, if you use a Lunagirl image, you will be entered TWICE in the drawing! I want to welcome everyone and every style but also give a little something extra to my wonderful customers!

LINK UP YOUR ENTRIES BELOW TO PLAY (and please don't forget to SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE Design Team creations!)

An InLinkz Link-up

LUNAGIRL MOONBEAMS DESIGN TEAM

Here are some lovely creations by the Moonbeams.  I hope you'll get inspired and join in. 
 Learn more about the DT here!

MANDY CHILVERS

MICHELE STORMS

VICKI ROMAINE

New collage sheet designs! Witch's Labels for potions and powders and more

Oh, these were such fun to create!  Starting with some of our own blank labels (which were originally Victorian and Art Deco ephemera), and adding old photos and text and colors and textures, I've created some labels just right for this time of year -- or for a witch's apothecary at any time of year ; )  Labels for mermaid tears, lover's sighs, moonbeams, powdered cobwebs, freeze-dried bat wings, Egyptian sleeping potion, belladonna, ashes of old lovers, and more spooky magical stuff.  These will be about 4 inches tall when printed at full size, but you can of course print them as small as you need with excellent results... Currently available only in our etsy shop -- the sepia versions by request!

New Collage Sheet: Maps!

Yet another brand new Lunagirl collage sheet design!  This one is created with fabulous fascinating maps adapted from antique books.  There are maps of the Eastern and Western hemispheres with illustrations of the signs of the zodiac and angels in the corners, a map of the ancient Mediterranean world, an ancient map of the ocean currents with Latin text, an 18th-century map of Nova Scotia and the St. Lawrence River with lovely calligraphic writing, plus "London and the Suburbs, Seventeenth Century". These are carefully restored and enhanced to be just right. Fascinating images and aged paper make beautiful backgrounds for altered art projects of all kinds!  Click on this link to be taken to a page to purchase and download: http://www.summertownsun.com/lunagirl/W-Lunagirl-Collage-Sheets-NEW.htm

Gothic

I've always loved this photo. The little girl looks like she doesn't really want to step out of that doorway and into the next room. What is her mother whispering to her? What is the little girl looking at, and why doesn't she want to go into that room?

Inspired by recent messages/conversations my head is full of imagery that for lack of a better word I call gothic: windswept cliffs over stormy oceans at night, annabel lee in a white dress, the bronte sisters dreaming out on the moors, a disheveled cinderella, abandoned brides and ragged wedding veils, silent little girls, angry little girls, moonlight through swiftly moving ragged clouds... stuff like that!

I'm sure in time all this will give rise to some cool new collage sheets (and other projects I hope)

but for now I'm content to post a few favorite photos with a 'gothic' feel.





As a kid I always gravitated toward songs and stories that were melancholy, or dark and sweet at the same time. I'm still inspired by beauty and sadness, especially when they're combined...

Edgar Allen Poe said something about how art is inspired by loss and beauty, and that the greatest artistic inspiration was the loss of beauty or love. Or something to that effect....

Then's there's this lady below! What's on her mind?

Featured Artist: BONZIE

We're deep into summer now, and I want to feature some items/artists for a "Summer Splurge." And wow, what a wonderful and talented artist we're featuring today.

Bonzie, an independent fashion label in Ireland, creates absolutely gorgeous corsets, neck adornments, handbags and more ~ see the pictures below. They are wonderfully feminine, romantic, gothic, elegant, playful.... I especially like her new wearable art bags (some feature Lunagirl images, plus fabric flowers, lace, other vintage and vintage-inspired elements and embellishments). I have a weakness for handbags!

Truly an indulgence for yourself or a lucky friend ~ and some pieces would be amazing for your wedding ~ but note that Bonzie's custom neck adornments are very reasonably priced for such lovely custom pieces!

Visit http://www.designsbybonzie.blogspot.com/

or the etsy shop! http://www.etsy.bonzie.com

Fairy Tales Art & Beautiful Nuns

As promised, here are sample views of more of the new Lunagirl collage sheets.
All Lunagirl collage sheets are available for purchase with INSTANT DOWNLOAD at www.Lunagirl.com.