Live Like There's No Midnight

Happy 2015!!  I am so happy to be sharing with you as a Viva Las VegaStamps! design team member for the first time today!!
Since we were all just ringing in the new year I selected some stamps for just such an occasion.
But first I would like to show you a super awesome bokeh technique using watercolor paint and gesso.

You will need watercolor paper, watercolor paint, a paint brush, gesso, washi tape, circle stencil, water, your stamp and archival ink to get started.

I used my heat gun to speed up the drying!  I am NOT a very patient person...  :)

This is the clockface stamp (item 19468 plate 1444).

I used a Prima stencil and clear Wink of Stella pen.

I framed the bokeh image with black cardstock from my stash, tied some pretty May Arts ribbon around and stamped the Live like there's no Midnight (Item 18966 Plate 880) image directly on the ribbon.  The card base is Bazzill and the finishing touch was a couple of sequins.

Thanks for spending a bit of your day with us here and joining me for my very first design team post!!

                                                      

Oh and let me mention...I took some inspiration from this month's challenge, color combination and circles. 

This inspiration board is a great start to ANY project.  I hope to see what you create linked up for your chance to win some GORGEOUS pink rubbah!

Art journal therapy

Last year was a very dificult year as we had to say goodbye to both of our "boys", Sam was 17 and Skyler was 16 1/2.  They had good long lives but for anyone who loses their heart to a pet (family member really!) it is never long enough and I miss them dearly.

One thing I love about art journaling is that I can chronicle or put down on paper what I'm feeling so for this art journal spread I dedicated it to our boys.  Here is my journal spread and then I will show you how I made it!

I started out with two pages that I had cleaned my Gelli plate off of as well as different Viva Las VegaStamps! stamps stamps (looks nothing like the journal spread above right??) and I appologize for the blurry pic but I took it at night and didn't realize it was so blurry...

 Then I took a stencil and used blue paint to create the design over the two pages and then poured some orange paint in a line and used a trowel to spread it

leaving it now looking like this

I sat there looking at it and didn't care for the in your face colors... so I took the same stencil and used cream colored paint and "bumped" the stencil, leaving it now looking like this (amazing how different it now looks right?)

much better! I now added some turquoise and pink paint and words as well as a bunch of stamps (can you spot them all?) and then glued a picture of my cherished boys on as well.

Once again here is the finished journal spread

 I used the line of chevrons stamp, the You are here stamp, Waybill/invoice background, the design open circles, solid star in circle, smear/smudge, writing triangles, tape, double coffee rings and last but not least the bubble wrap texture!

Here are some close ups of the different stamps

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

Wings Are Ready

Hello everyone. Shanna here and I am beyond excited to be a part of the design team and here sharing my first post with you as a design team member. 

Now on to the fun parts right!!!

I had so much fun picking out stamps and your head just pops with so many ideas. The thing I love most about the stamps is that you can color them or leave them plain stamped images. I love doing that as it makes the stamps pop off the project.

So I decided to kick it off with an art journal creation.

First I had some Tim Holtz tissue wrap that I added to my pages with some mate gel medium. After that I gave the pages a white wash with gesso.  Then I added some Dina Wakely Acrylic paint in the color turquoise and magenta. Spraying each color with some water to create paint drips. 

Then I used the stamp Wildflower Silhouette - 19556 (Plate 1451) with a Distress Marker Crushed Olive and stamped it twice at the bottom of the page.

Then I stamped the sentiment Your Time As a Caterpillar -19585 (Plate 1452) using StazOn Ink Jet Black.

Then I thought the Girl with Wings - 19005 (Plate 893) would look perfect for this spread. So I stamped her with the StazOn Ink and fussy cut her out. Although I decided to go ahead and pop her wings up for dimension. 

Then I couldn't help but add some glass bead gel for a little more texture. 

Then I wanted to add some brown and went for my Twinkling H20's, using the colors Cedarwood and Autumn Butternut. 

I tried hard to stick to the January challenge them the mood board is just amazing but I love pink and had to splash some in there. 

Don't forget to enter the challenge HERE!

::Friends Feature::

Hello Stampers :)

Today I thought I would share with you some fun features we've found around the internet! Some from Pinterest, some from facebook, and a few from our very own Facebook Group - Viva Las VegaStamps! Groupies. Join us there to share all your best Viva Las VegaStamps! goodies.

Don't forget to tag us {#vivalasvegastamps @vivalasvegastamps} so we can find your work easily!

Via Leuke Stempels

Whimsical Beaked Guy in Crown | Double Coffee Rings

Measuring Tape Section |  Smear/Smudge

Via Glenda Tkalac

Row of Stars | Star Pin | Star

Banksy Mirror Admirer

Via Gerrie Johnnic

Paris Address | Map of the World

Eiffel Tower Medium | Weeping Statue of Liberty

Via Holger Minotto

Designated Riot Area | Sweeping Under Lady | Gas Mask Flower Girl

Swinging Girl | Rat Walking Chain

Please everyone who was featured feel free to use the following image on your blog :) We've enjoyed sharing your work! It's all been so great, we'll see you next time!

January Guest Designer : Georgia Heald

Today I'd like to introduce you to our January Guest Designer Georgia Heald. She is one super talented girl and I'm so excited to have her on our blog. She's joining us with a card and a tag, both so beautiful.

Hi, I'm Georgia, I'm 38, from Tasmania Australia where I live with my husband, teenage son and furry cat baby. I would describe my style as modern grunge with a real love for art mediums and stamping. I create mostly 12 x 12 layouts, cards and journals with the occasional off the page project and canvas. I currently design for Prima Marketing & The Scrapbook Diaries. I am absolutely thrilled to have been invited to be guest designer this month at VLVS!

My blog: www.startingtoscrap.blogspot.com.au

Seek Paradise Card

This little guy is so adorable, as soon as I saw him I could see him sailing across the ocean in search of something. So I decided to create just that. I have cut a piece of Ranger Claudine Hellmuth Studio sticky back canvas to fit my card, stuck on a craft mat and prepped with Gesso.

Once dry, I have painted my background using Studio Calico Color Theory acrylic paints and adhered to my card. I have then stamped my Boy In The Tub Boat stamp on a piece of Ranger Inkssentials matte coated cardstock and cut him out. I have kept him in black and white as I really wanted him to pop out from the background. And finally finished with the Seek Paradise stamp also on the matt cardstock to finish.

Product List
Boy In The Tub Boat Stamp
Seek Paradise Stamp
Studio Calico Color Theory Acrylic Paints, Ranger Sticky Back Canvas, Ranger Matte Coated Cardstock, Ranger Archival Ink in Black

Why Hello Tag

How sweet is this little girl! I really wanted to keep her the focus of my project so decided to do a small gift tag with her. I have created my background using watercolors, modeling paste and a stencil. I have then stamped my Girl In A Princess Costume onto some Ranger matte cardstock with archival ink. I have then cut her out and sprayed with some Micador Fixtative which makes the ink run just slightly giving her some grey shading. I have then used some watercolor paints to color several small pieces of tissue paper and once dry, stamped her onto each and cut out the layers of her dress to add to my image. I have added a few little embellishments and then using another piece of tissue paper, stamped my Why Hello title. I have then added this using a gel medium to my tag. Using tissue for your stamps is awesome when you have a textured background and may not be able to get a complete stamped image.

Product List
Girl In A Princess Costume Stamp
Why Hello Stamp

Micador Watercolor Paints, Micador Fixative Workable Mat Spray, Ranger Inkessentials Matte Coated Cardstock, Studio Calico Wood Veneer Stars, Prima Marketing Art Basics Heavy Gesso, Prima Marketing Art Basics Modeling Paste, Prima Marketing Art Basics Gel Medium Matte, The Crafter's Workshop Stencil, Prima Marketing Ingvild Bolme Junkyard Findings Wings Trinket, Chain & Jump Ring, Ranger Archival Ink in Black

We're All Mad Here {Art Journaling by DeeDee Catron}

Hello hello stampers :) DeeDee here today to inspire you with a mix of old and new stamps! 

I had so much fun designing the new Art Journaling plate and am super guilty of squeezing it in everywhere, including the art journaling class I host here locally. The following spread was about creating cohesive backgrounds and faux metal bits. 

The journal base is actually a super basic sketching journal. I work a lot outside of the journal on watercolor paper, and then insert the finished piece. So I found a basic black journal that inspired me to start a Black and White spread series. The main focus for my spread is this amazing TweedleDum and TweedleDee stamp.

They're so lovely and full of life! The background work on the left page is lots of scraped black gesso and stamping. I used the Double Coffee Rings, Grunge Circles, and the older Dictionary Page. Since this journal is all about black and white, everything has been stamped in Black Archival Ink by Ranger.

The right page was done in similar fashion; with lots of black scraped gesso and the Grunge Circles. The best thing about the grunge circles is how they're easily repeatable. I designed them so that all the short edges of the stamp interlock, and the tall edges of the stamp interlock. You can easily just ink and stamp, ink and stamp, ink and stamp, for a cool continuous background. The other shining star in this background is the Writing Triangles. They come in a row of three, but can easily be stamped over and over for a continuous pattern as well.

Stop by my blog for a few more details and a bit more about the class :)

A Fresh Face for the New Year...

Welcome to Viva Las VegaStamps! Susan here today and I'm so excited to rejoin my inky-stampy friends here at VLVS! It's been ages since my rubber stamps have seen the light of day so I decided to make a fun ATC using the Collage Face #18378 which reminds me of my fabulous winter hat.

I started out with some scraps of cardstock, an embossed painted paper and a mini tag and I stamped my images onto them using black archival ink. I doodled in some longer curly locks using a black PITT pen. I gave a quick color washing with Faber-Castell PITT brush pens applied with a water brush. I like the color, but my face needed a little more POP.

 

I broke out my Faber-Castell Gelatos and added some more color.

I played and smudged on the Gelatos onto my face and painted book page ATC base. I blended out the details with my waterbrush. 

I assembled the layers using Miracle Tape then spritzed with a dash of Tsukineko New Sprout Fireworks for some shimmery splatters. I finished off with stamping the word "dream" and spelled out "play" using the alphabet from the December Daily Plate #1430 by brushing my black PITT pen onto stamps – resulting in a lighter more subtle impression on top of the Gelato smudged background.

A Fresh Face for the New Year!

From Viva Las VegaStamps:

"Face Collage" #18378

"Dream" #18886

"Happy New Year" #3721

alphabet from the December Daily Plate #1430

Miracle Tape

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Thanks so much for dropping by. Don't forget about the January inspiration challenge. Just make a creation using the inspiration above and your stash of VLVS! stamps... you could win more RUBBER! CLICK HERE for challenge details. Also, you definitely want to subscribe to the blog feed and to the Viva Las VegaStamps! newsletter to be IN THE KNOW of everything going on at the Viva Las Vegastamps! store. 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 wish all of you a inky and Merry New Year in 2015!!  Sb

Clean and simple

Hi Hermine here, a very happy and creative New Year from me. Hope 2015 brings all things you wish for. And now a little tutorial to start this year with.

Here my clean and simple tutorial, beneath you'll find a step by step

step 1: stamp Whimsical beaked guy in crown 19530 with Stazon Black and make a mask as well.

step 2: Cut out the mask and put on image and stamp the smear/smudge 19573 just beneath the feet

step 3: then stamp the double coffee rings 19568, Bubble wrap texture 19566,  Writing Circles Background 19567, and a couple of times the stitches 19575.  Remove the mask and start colouring the Whimsical beaked guy in crown. Put the card aside.

step 4: take 2 scrap pieces of paper, one a bit larger then the other one. Colour the largest one with the same colours as you used in the focal image. And stamp the text It's your big day 19475 on the smallest one. Cut a V-shape out of the both on the right hand side and punch a hole in the left hand side.

 

step 5: then punch a hole in the card and fasten the strips onto the card with a brad. Use a little red string to enhance it.

Hope you like this little tutorial, 

Warmly Hermine

Used materials:

Whimsical beaked guy in crown 19530

smear/smudge 19573

Double coffee rings 19568

Bubble wrap texture 19566

Writing Circles background 19567

Stitches 19575

It's your big day 19475

Stazon

Jiving...

Hi everybody,

Well this is it, my first post as part of the Design Team of VivaLasVegaStamps! I can't tell you how excited I was when I was invited to join this group of very talented ladies. Anyway here is my first project. It is an Art Journal which is an inspiration piece for this month's Challenge.

I started with colouring a piece of white cardstock with Distress Ink and a blending tool, I used Faded jeans and a bit of Black Soot around the edges. Next I randomly stamped the background and also used some punchinella to create the polka dots. The circles were made using a set of dies and I used some Tim Holtz paper with music notes on it. I inked the edges and adhered them to the page. With different bottle tops I stamps white and black rings around the circles. The jiving couple was stamped with Memento Black tuxedo ink and coloured with markers. I cut them out and adhered them on top of one of the circles. Lastly I splattered some white ink on the page carefully avoiding the dancing couple. I used the following stamps:

Grungy 8 - 19459

Flower pot - 18923

Number Strip - 18924

Waybill/Invoice background - 19416

Jive Couple - 4838

Here is a reminder of the Inspiration board :

I used the following elements : Patterns, circles, dots, music notes, weeds, nature, sky, blue, tan, aged.

I hope I gave you some inspiration too ! Thank you for stopping by ! 

Corrie 

Hello 2015! January Challenge

It feels like just yesterday I was chatting along about how I couldn't believe 2014 was in the second half... now we're onto 2015!

Come on in :) Check out our new challenge. BE INSPIRED. And link up with a new project to WIN.SOME.RUBBER!!

Who doesn't love new rubber stamps?

We'd like to prompt you this month with new beginnings, new growth, sturdy roots, patterns, circles, dots, music notes, numbers, weeds, nature, flora, sky, ground, beneath, above, blue, cerulean, tan, aged, heritage and more.

Don't forget the rules:

-Create a new project based on our inspiration board

-Use at least one (but certainly more if you want) Viva Las VegaStamps! rubber stamps

(We are now allowing competitors stamps to be on your work, but please make VLVS! the focus of the project, thank you.)

-Post it to your blog with a link back to us

-Upload to our linky using your direct blog post link (You may also upload via facebook, flickr or other gallery)

You could win a Project Spotlight post on our blog + some new rubber of course.

And visit us back here tomorrow for some inspiration from new DT member Corrie Herriman.

An InLinkz Link-up