Wind Up Your Stamping for a Very Hoppy Steampunk Surprise!

Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps! - it's finally FRIDAY and Easter is almost here! Susan here today bringing you some Springtime Steampunk inspiration. I participate in fellow DT member LeslieRahye's bloghops and this month's installment was in celebration of Spring. I always plan to play along with the 12 tags monthly challenge by T!m Holtz and this month I actually have... in total VIVA LAS VEGASTAMPS! Style!!!

I have to say that I had so much fun making this and I only used ONE die - a spellbinders frame to contain my bunny silhouette. The rest of my tag is totally handmade - including handstamped paper, fussy cut elements and a little greencrafting, too! 

   

**TIP FOR THE DAY** Don't be afraid use your stamps in interesting and unconventional ways. The reverse silhouette is a popular trend right now and I'm seeing it everywhere. Today I have created this great technique by stamping on the back of my die cut frame and with a craft knife fussy cutting out the steampunk rabbit. I just love this creepy cool mechanical rabbit.

My grass is hand-cut also - quick and easy large freehand zig-zag using my craft knife. I'm happy to report that this insanely perfectionist measurer did not use a ruler to make uber-straight cuts {imagine that}; and all digits are accounted for!

I distressed and aged a tag cut out of Easter colored double-sided cardstock by My Minds Eye ans stamped several gears and steampunkery items in Stuart Superior Brown Memories Dye Ink. In the same ink, I also combined individual letter stamps to spell out "hoppy" and combined with the word "steampunk", stamped in a row on a cream cardstock, then trimmed and folded to create a quick and easy banner heading. I added a coordinating circle from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Hole Reinforcers to the front and back {best $1 ever spent this year}.

Strips of green tinsel are adhered to the frame back using, yep you guessed it! Miracle Tape made this process quick and easy, too! I finished off the back with some 3D foam tape, tied bow around and mounted to the tag base.

Another little discovery... get quick faux wrinkled ribbon by using recycled ribbon bow from a plant. I have a potted plant basket in my kitchen that had a pretty yellow bow on a pick in it. In grabbing my acrylic blocks on my kitchen table, I spotted this ribbon and grabbed it for this tag - it was the perfect match for my spring tag. I gently untwisted the wire around the ribbon bow and CRUMPLED it up. Being that this ribbon is the same as the ribbon used for gift wrapping, it it perfect for distressing. The wrinkling along with a swipe of vintage photo distress stain to age it a little, works perfectly.

The finishing touch are my gear flowers and colorful button eggs. The stems for my flowers are recycled thin strips of metal that the guys at work trim off the metal printing plates that I quilled into leaves and stems. The metal has a lovely teal coating on one side and the backside is silver. I have a whole little bin of these metal strips coiled for creative re-purposing. "HOPPY STEAMPUNK!!!"

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Supplies used: STAMPS - Steampunk Rabbit #16032, and Small alphabet from December Daily Plate 1430, Steampunk Outline #16005, Compass #16019, Watch Parts #16007, Gear Duo/ Small and Large #16025,  Gauges #16028, Gears Rotating #16031, and Watch Movement #18457. Also used: my DIY mix of gesso/acrylic/glazing medium; sandpaper; My Minds Eye Kaleidoscope double-sided patterned paper, Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Nostalgic Paper Pack - used Green and White; Miracle Tape; Diamond Glaze, 3-D foam mounting tape; Spellbinders Nestabilities® Labels 4 Die Set; Stuart Superior Memories Dye Ink in Brown; Ranger Vintage Photo and Antique Linen Distress Stains; Ranger Adirondack® Acrylic Paint Dabber in Snow Cap; Tim Holtz Idea-ology Hole Reinforcers; and Clearsnap Creamy Brown Chalk ink.

A REMINDER... there are six new plates on pre-sale for 20% off for a very limited time...the plates should be in any day now. So many great new images -AND- a "WHO-vian" plate with a re-issue of my blue police box stamp... just in time for the return of Dr. Who at the end of the month! Drop by the Viva Las Vegastamps! store to get the new releases and browse the VLVS! rubber vault.

Thanks so much for dropping by. Have you seen what the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team has been creating? There's so much amazing inky inspiration to see!  If you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. I'll be back soon with another stamping adventure...and I'm starting off April on an adventure of my own - a trip to the WORLD FAMOUS Viva Las Vegastamps! Have an inky day - and a fabulous weekend! Sb