Sending Wishes

Hi hi everyone!!  Michele here with you today and I would like to share a fun background technique that I saw over on Mr. Holtz's blog last year.  Paint and stamps together can create a fun shabby looking background.  Let's get started...

You will need a tag, acrylic paint, stamps, clear embossing power, a paper towel and water to start.

 I used Writing Background (Item 16207 Plate 1287) and Writing Circles Background (Item 19567 Plate 1455) for my background layer.

VLVS! High Gloss Embossing Powder creates an amazing resist.

Paint over the entire tag.  Let dry to the touch, leaving a bit tacky.

 I did 2 layers of paint for a bit more depth.  Then I used Coffee Ring Stain (Item 19230 Plate 926) and Mesh Texture (Item 19569 Plate 1455) for the next layer.

So here is my finished tag with a few more awesome VLVS! images fussy cut and water colored with my Distress Markers.

Tricycle Girl Mailing Letter (Item 19558 Plate 1451) and Happy Moon (Item 19507 Plate 1450).

We have also got some Um Wow Studios layered clouds, glass glitter, thread and gesso.

 Along with a bit of Tim Holtz tissue tape.

Thanks for stopping by...until next time, get inky!!

Journaling SAMCRO

One of the things I'm going to try to be better at is journaling the little things that I want to be able to look back on and remember.  One of my favorite shows was the "Sons of Anarchy", LOVED IT!!!!  My husband and I watched it faithfully, all 7 seasons, and I wanted to do a page on how much we loved it. Pay a little homage to Jax if you will. :)

Here is my journal spread and then I will show you how it all came together:

I started out with two pages that I had cleaned my Gelli plate on (I love doing that) after making other pages as well as cleaning stamps on, a great way to use up the extra ink!

Then I had an awesome image of Jax that I had clipped from a magazine and I placed him onto the one page.

Then I saw the left side needed a little something so I stamped the film strip stamp onto it.

Then I painted inside of the film strip so it would tie in with the color on the other page, making it more cohesive.

And once more here is the finished spread

and some close ups

 I love that glob of paint, texture!!!

The stamps I used to make this project are the film strip, bubble wrap texture, tire tread, danger skeleton, line of chevrons, row of stars, censored, one way, arrow, writing arrow, chevrons, not all who wander are lost, french writing background, on the flip side, and last but not least the spotty background! Whew, I don't think I missed any but I sure had fun using all of these stamps!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed my project.

bird of a feather

Hi Hermine here, today I made a card and used ultra gloss embossing powder for the bird.

step 1: take a rectangle card but don't fold it yet. Spray with Bistre. Stamp the clockface 19468 with stazon.
step 2: spray some water and sprinkle some Brusho (colour: camboge) and colour with a marker some of the details inside the clockface with aprox. the same colour. Put aside for a while
step 3: take some music paper, glue a wire on it and cover it again with music paper, draw a feather shape on it and cut out, Cut some notches all around the feather. Do the same with the second one. Then spray some water and sprinkel green Bistre, dry with a heattool, spray some water again and sprinkle some Brusho. Dry with a heattool.
step 4: stamp the large bird flying 19001 on a seperate piece of paper and cut out. Colour with Lyra Crayons. Then cover the whole bird with Versamark and Ultra high gloss clear embossingpowder. heatset it, cover again with Versamark and embossing powder and heatset again.
step 5: make some faux stitches on the left hand side of the card with a black fineliner.
step 6: Glue the feathers onto the card with magical tape and then glue the bird on top of the lowest feather. Take some string and tie a knot on the ends of the wire.


Hope you like it and gives you inspiration. Making those feathers is so much fun!


Warmly Hermine



used materials:
Clockface 19468
Large bird flying 19001
Ultra High Gloss clear embossingpowder
magical tape
stazon

Join our Altered Spool Swap

Did you know?

We regularly host an art swap in our Viva Las VegaStamps! Groupies Facebook group!

Our current swap is Altered Spools -- and we'd love to have you join. The rules are easy; create THREE altered wooden or cardboard spools -- The EASIEST way to finish all spools is to do one master and just duplicate for the other two. Your spools should be between 2 inches tall and 6 inches tall, as wide as you like. Find or create any spool that will work for you. Feel free to get creative on what you can find. You will send in three spools and get two spools returned to you. We will keep one for the store display.

Need a little inspiration? Visit these Pinterest boards we've found with altered spools:

--https://www.pinterest.com/craftdee1/altered-spools/

--https://www.pinterest.com/kdr007/altered-spools/

--https://www.pinterest.com/susanperea/altered-spools/

--https://www.pinterest.com/MarjaSchwedler/clothespins-altered-spool/

--https://www.pinterest.com/dcdagmar/altered-spools/

The current theme is SPRING -- so anything that might fit including but not limited to anything flowers, bugs, animals, baby animals, gardens, gnomes, picnics, nature, celestial.. etc. 

Signups close THIS FRIDAY (2.27.15) so join our group and comment on the PINNED post at the top to enter!

Guest Designer >> Tiffany Goff Smith

Today we have a great mixed media artist joining us. I stumbled upon her on facebook and am excited to have her along!

Introducing Tiffany Smith: 

Tiffany's Blog

Hi I'm Tiffany Smith a southern belle from the beautiful Gulf Coast of Alabama. I have a passion to create unique, colorful and textured pieces of art. Growing up in a home with a mother that was always drawing, crocheting, knitting or painting. Trying new things is built in DNA. It is extremely therapeutic to walk into my studio and began to slap paint in my journal or latest project. I hope you enjoy what I have made for you today.

And now I'll let her take over:

Tiffany Smith here I will be your guest designer today.

 
It's something about the month of February that just draws you to hearts, I mean they are EVERYWHERE I look. So for today I have created a cute little wall hanging out of recycled cardboard. I have a passion (well some may say an obsession) for taking ordinary "junk" and giving it new life. In this mixed media project I used layers of cardboard, vintage handwritten letter, gesso, muslin fabric, acrylic paints and the Stitching and Tape X stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps!.

 

The thing I love most about these stamps is they are so versatile in my projects I love to add layers and texture and they are perfect for doing just that.

Thanks so much for joining us today Tiffany! Your work is so great and we're honored to have you here  using our rubber stamps.

Dragonfly Art Journal Page

Hello and welcome everyone to a new day of inspiration here. I made it into a video YAY. So check that out below!

I played in my art journal. YES it was fun too! I got to play with some new sprays, and some metals, and a new stencil. I am crazy excited and loved how this page turned out. 

Here you can see the Dragonfly Wings - 11042 were stamped and cut out. 

You can see all the stamping I did here using Staz-On Ink and Prima Chalk Inks. All the stamps are listed below. I used a a bit to build up a background!

I used glass beads, in the 3d gloss gel with a stencil. 

The tag was a fun add too but I wasn't sure what to write on it or stamp on it so I colored it in with some Bloom Sprays.

The stamps I used are the following:

Dictionary Page - 19015

Dragonfly Wings - 11042

Tag - 19079

Writing Circles Background - 19567

Three Staples - 19576

Staple X - 19577

Double Coffee Rings - 19568

Six Staples - 19578

If you would like to see how I created this art journal page check it out HERE!!!!

Dream Big

Hello everybody,

Corrie here. I am sharing a card with you today and I had so much fun making this. I hope you get inspired and dust of your rubber stamps and get creating !

Here's how I made this card :

Start with a piece of Gelli Print or some patterned paper cut into a panel that can go on the front of your card. I used a piece of Gelli Print.

Use a die or punch to cut some scalloped strips of pattern paper (I used Authentique - Be(you)tiful), ink the edges and adhere to your base panel. Ink the edges of the card panel.

Stamp the background with grey, black and orange Archival Inks and add some washi tape at three edges. (A list of stamps I used is at the bottom of this post).

Stamp the main image twice; once on your card panel and once on white card stock. I used Archival Jet Black to stamp on the panel and Memento to stamp on the white card stock as I was going to used Copic Markers to colour the image. 

I stamped the image on the panel because it is very difficult to cut out small details like the antennae on their heads. By doing it this way you can just cut them off when cutting out the main image. 

I used a silver gel pen to colour the antennae on the card panel. 

Once the image is coloured and cut out you can just adhere it on top of the one on your card base. I also stamped a sentiment on the same pattern paper as I used at the edges of the card. I inked the edges of this piece and then adhered it together with the main image on the card panel. Lastly I added some shadows around the image and sentiment with a Big Brush Marker.

Next I put some washi tape on the left side of my card base.

And here is the finished result, all put together. 

I used the following stamps :

19047 - Dream Big

19569 - Mesh texture

19566 - Bubble wrap texture

19575 - Stitching

19577 - Staple X

19410 - Whimsical kids in futuristic hats 

Thank you so much for stopping by today ! 

Hope to see you next time...

Corrie x

Update!

Our site is back up and fully functioning! 

Thank you for your patience. 

We have extended our sale for another 24 hours -- shop till you drop through tomorrow (Wednesday) at Noon PST.

Click here to shop!

xox

Friday the 13th {BLOG HOP}

It's Friday the 13th and it's time to get CREEPTASTIC. UNLUCKY. SPOOOOOKY.

We are excited to bring you a little FRIGHT during some NON Halloween time.

It IS Friday the 13th after-all.

So join the Design Team here @ Viva Las VegaStamps! on a little journey of spooky creepy and unlucky creations today.

You'll want to stop bye each blog to see what's up -- leave a little love because some of our friends may have prizes to give out -- plus we're giving away our own prize -- a LB O' Rubber to one random comment along the hop!

Now get to steppin!

• Viva Las VegaStamps! 
• DeeDee Catron 
• Corrie Herriman 
• Hermine Koster 
• Michele Kosciolek 
• Shanna Shands 
• Glenda Tkalac 
• Susan M. Brown 
• Mary Brockway 

Stop back here at the end and let me know what really sparked your interest on the hop! HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH! 

With Love.

Hello, Mary here, to share a sweetly stamped Valentine I've created for my Sweetie.

For the background, I've just inked it up with Distress Ink and water and then stamped the Medium Doily slightly off the edge to add a bit of interest.

To complete my background, I then stamped the Heart Outline nineteen times---one for each Valentine's Day we've spent together.  A quick dusting of Perfect Pearls adds a touch of sparkle without any glitter to flake off.

I then stamped Young Love and colored them up with my Copic markers.  These cuties look like the Campbell Soup kids from days gone by and SO remind me of my husband in his baby pictures!  A bit of fussy cutting and I glued the image down.

To finish off my card, I've stamped the {With Love} sentiment and stitched on a few vellum hearts to add a bit of dimension.  I love how you can still see the background and hearts through the vellum.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Now, go grab your favorite rubber and make something sweet to give this Valentine's Day!!

XO Valentines Day Tag

Happy HUGS day all!  It's Michele here today...

and I was wondering...what images come to mind when you think about Valentines Day??  Is it weird that I go right to the Eiffel Tower??  AND of course all the other basics like hearts and cupid but for me, Eiffel Tower = Love.
With Valentines Day right around the corner I created a mixed media tag that I would like to share with you.

After I sprayed and spackled my tag base I used the Waybill/Invoice Background (Item 19416 Plate 1440), Double Coffee Rings (Item 19568 Plate 1455), and of course Eiffel Tower (Item 1558 Plates 422 & 938 Page 134) to build up some layers.

Other stamps:  Cupid with Bow (Item 3813 Plate 402 Valentine Page 305), Checkerboard Heart (Item 10350 Plate 1045 Valentine Page 614) and XO (Item 19462 Plate 1444).

I also used Um Wow Studio love confetti, heart confetti and heart confetti stencil, May Arts ribbon, Heidi Swapp Color Shine, Distress Ink Walnut Stain, Archival Ink, thread.

While you're here today make sure to check out this months inspiration challenge, it's a GOOD one full of beautiful color inspiration!!

Love is in the air!

With Valentine's Day coming up I thought it only appropriate to make some ATC's showcasing love, because I'm sweet like that, and who doesn't love love??

This first ATC I used a lot of texture and layers like molding paste, acrylic embellishments, paper, stickers, mist and Goosebumps.  I also used the man and woman symbol stamp and the hearts stamp.

 and here is a close up of the yummy textures and layers:

 This next ATC I used the birds on a wire stamp and the couple kissing stamp, along with a rub on, patterned paper and some acrylic embellishments.

and last but not least, a romantic ATC featuring the young couple kissing stamp along with patterned paper, clear printed tape and some stickers:

Happy Valentine's Day everyone and I hope you enjoyed my projects.

Purple Rain

It is Shanna here today excited to share my newest art journal piece with you. 

I don't know about you but I just love when I get to play and test out new ideas or thought or colors in my journal.

I had a blast playing with these stamps. I even played with a label maker. At first I knew I wanted to cover my pages with gesso and use a stencil. So I used one of the doily stencils with some Prima Modeling paste. 

Then I went over my pages with some gelatos then sprinkled some twinkling h20's on the page too. 

Then then fussy cut out the Butterfly Specimens - 19415 and the Winged Girl Under Umberella - 19116. They were both stamped with with StazOn black ink. 

Here you can see the images and I cut out. Then I also used a label maker to add the purple rain title to the journal page. 

I just love splatter! 

I do hope you were inspired to create your own special lovely art journal page and don't forget to check out the current sale going on.