HAPPY LEAP DAY!!! Spending it playing with Viva Las Vegastamps!

Hi everybody! It's Susan bringing you my end of the month post. I am so excited for getting today as  my project day because it's LEAP DAY!!! So of course, I had to create something extra special for the occasion...complete with lots of leaping frogs! This project has been in my head for months, too. I have been collecting stamps through a couple orders of pounds of rubber grab bags from Viva Las Vegastamps! These are so fun and you never know what you are going to get for your creating pleasure...PLUS it's a whole pound of RUBBER STAMPS {it's a whole lot}!!!

In these I got these two awesome stamps...

I used three Viva Las Vegastamps!: Frog Bottom #1546; Frog Background #6025bbi; and Celebrate #12390. I started off with a gloss piece of cardstock that I stamped in Stewart Superior Palette Hybrid "Giverny Green" a very bright and springy green. This ink is all-purpose and can be used with embossing powders.  So I created a large background paper by stamping frog background four times and embossed using VLVS Ultra High Gloss embossing powder. Then I applied three different green Distress Inks with a blending tool to make a soft modeled background. I have this stash of letter stickers - where I rummaged through and came across this package of "Sticky Face™" double sided letter stickers. PERFECT!! I have this jar of glittery green felted stuff I picked up on my trip to the stamp store to get my "Rubber Stamp Madeness" magazine. So I applied the letters, burnished them down and exposed the adhesive. I dumped on the felted powder and gently patted in and tapped off excess. This is a messy yet fun way to add texture. On another piece of gloss cardstock, I used the blending tool to apply three colors of green Distress Inks and spritzed with water to add texture. I heat set this then stamped "Celebrate" and the Frog in "Madonna Blue" Stewart Superior Memories Pigment ink and embossed with VLVS Ultra High Gloss embossing powder. I fussy cut these out and applied 3-D pop dots. Finished assembled piece is mounted on a navy blue card stock.

Detail showing embossing and texture of glittered felting on letters.

Today is the last day to submit your creations for the VLVS Theme Challenge for February! Submit your "LOVE" theme creations using Viva Las Vegastamps! for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate at the VLVS online store. CLICK HERE for info on submissions. Don't forget to check out the Viva Las Vegastamps! store.

Thanks so much for visiting & if you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. I hope you enjoy your EXTRA Day STAMPING!!!

Happily Divorced!

Hello everyone! While travelling last year, I saw this funny sentiment on something at a souvenir shop. Since Viva Las Vegastamps! has hundreds of stamps featuring women’s faces and funny expressions, I really wanted to use it for one of my blog posts. I asked Wayne, the owner of Viva Las Vegastamps! to put these words on a stamp, and he did! So here it is, with one of my favorite face stamps. You can find the sentiment by clicking here, and you can find the Lady with Pearls by clicking here.

To make this card, I stamped the Lady With Pearls stamp on smooth white cardstock and colored with Copic markers. The stamp does show her with a pearl necklace, but I added some small sticky pearls from Want To Scrap to bling it up a little. I cut her out and adhered her to a piece of background paper, and stamped the sentiment directly on the background paper below her.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to return often to see what’s new, and feel free to leave a comment because we love to hear from you and find your words encouraging. If you want to see more of my Viva Las Vegastamps! projects, visit my blog by clicking here.

TH Inspired Tag using VLVS! Swirls

Hey Everybody!! DeeDee here!! Have you seen the 12 tags of 2012 TH is now doing?? 

well I wanted to participate.. but As a design team member for VLVS! it is our duty to promote as much VLVS! as possible, and it's QUITE easy when you love a company as much as I do VLVS! The images that Wayne and CO produce are just ... the best. so I took on TH's tag challenge.. but with a VLVS! twist.. 

First.. Pick a background! 

I chose a combination of three stamps:

  Swirl 2 1/2 x 3 1/4 - $10.25

Swirl 3/4 x 1 1/4 - $5.00

  Swirl 3/4 x 1 - $4.50

Then.. grab your tag and stamp them in WHITE ACRYLIC PAINT. I stamped them sort of haphazard all over.. and I wasn't careful about covering the entire stamp in paint either.. it sort of made this.. fun swirly collage with an almost foliage resemblance! 

Give the paint ample time to dry and then ink your tag. I used Spun Sugar Distress Stain.. and sponged some Festive Berries and Brushed Corduroy ink over it. spritz with water.. and wipe the ink off of the painted parts!! Background CHECK!

(here's a closeup of the background)

I then embellished with a 3D heart made from punched hearts that I folded in half and glued sides together. There's a bit of old pattern wrinkled up underneath the heart.. and I used some vintage lace and snug hug for my trim embellishes! 

The Cupid was hand cut, inked and crackled! What do you think?? Aren't the VLVS! Stamps just SUPERB! they do the same thing as tim's giant stamp, but only BETTER!! 

Let me know what you thiiiiiiiiink!! -DeeDee

Absolut-ly Fabulous Card - Shaped Like A Bottle of Absolut!

From the first time I saw the TV show Absolutely Fabulous, I fell in love with it! If you aren't familiar with it, Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character.

According to Wikipedia, the series features Saunders as Edina Monsoon, a heavy-drinking, drug-abusing PR agent who spends her time chasing bizarre fads in a desperate attempt to stay young and "hip." Edina is joined in her quest by magazine editor Patsy Stone, her best friend and enabler, whose drug abuse, alcohol consumption, and promiscuity far eclipse Edina's comparatively mild self-destructive behaviour.


The stamp, Party Girls 2 1/2 x 3 #183, from Viva Las Vegastamps!, immediately reminded me of Patsy and Edina. I decided to use this stamp, along with a bit of a play on words and a card shaped like a bottle of Absolut Vokda, to create a card that's perfect to tell someone you think their fab-u-lous!


I started by creating the card base using the Zing electronic cutting machine. Using Make The Cut!, I traced the silhouette of a bottle of Absolut, copied it, and then welded the two shapes together along the side, to create a bottle shaped card, sized to fit in a #10 envelope.  I cut out a single bottle shape in vellum to use as an overlay on the front of the card (to resemble the frosted glass of the bottle). I cut the cap out of paper covered in aluminum tape.  The lettering is the font Futura Extra Black Condensed BT, which is pretty close to Absolut's lettering style.

I stamped Party Girls 2 1/2 x 3 #183 on white paper, colored them with Copic markers and fussy cut them out.

To make it look like the bottle contained liquid, I masked off the top of the bottle and used distress ink to shade from the neck down.

To assemble the card, attach the aluminum cap and letters to the vellum. I ran the pieces through my Xyron to turn them in to stickers. The attach the vellum to the front of the card using Miracle Tape. Only use the tape behind the letters and cap so it doesn't show through the vellum.

Lastly, apply the party girls to the front of the card with Miracle Tape. Your done! The card is shown here resting on a red background so you can really see the shape.

You can see more of my projects on my blog on Create & Craft.
Happy Crafting!
Joe

GOT MILK? MOOOOO... COW SWAP

Lyneen here with a surprise post! A few months back I participated in a swap... it was a special one.  We had to make 8 sets of ATCs, Moos and Inchies.

ATC = 3 1/2" x 2 1/2"

Moo = 3 1/2" x 1"

Inchie = 1" x 1" 

I had fun with these, all stamps are from Viva Las Vegastamps! I stayed with red, black and white! For a bit of whimsy added copies of a couple of vintage things from my collection of ephemera.  The tag is from an old local creamery. HOW OLD? The phone number listed is Main 360!!!  Then the milk cap has a 5 digit phone number!!!  How long ago did they use 5 digit phone numbers.

I used Crystal Lacquer to give the bottle the look of glass and VLVS! High Gloss Embossing Powder on all the images... if you haven't noticed I LOVE!!! VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder!

COW in Bottle

Mooo

Mona Cow

If Milk is only 2%

COW (front)

Cupid's Game

Valentine's Day may be over, but Cupid's work is not done.  He's is such a stinker!  He's not an angel or a devil, maybe a bit of both!!  He likes to play games, sometimes his arrows miss and hits the wrong person. 

Alter a tag, color areas to accentuate the game theme, add VLVS images and viola' you create some fun art!  Search and collect sayings and images - mix and match them in weird ways!

VLVS Images:

Cupid Dreaming Hearts

Saying - Pleasure is a Sin

Enjoy all the wonderful ideas by the design team and stay warm!

-Lea

Viva Las Vegastamps! and Mary Vogel Lozinak

Viva Las Vegastamps! 

Comes out with AWESOME NEW stamps every month...

 this month I would like to 

present the NEWEST arrivals!

AND I AM IN LOVE WITH THESE STAMPS!!!

 Mary Vogel Lozinak's  Plate 1451

  Mary Vogel Lozinak's  Plate 1450

 Stamping images on tissue and 

heat embossing with 

VLVS! Ultra Thick Embossing Powder!

 Playing with colors!

 Playing with colors!

I love the whimsy!

So much detail!

Fun sentiments!

So Much FUN!

These arrived in the mail LATE YESTERDAY.... 

I was having so much fun with my new stamps 

I almost forgot to stop and post my cards!!!!

Have a great week... 

Lyneen

See more of my work HERE!

You're no longer the man I met on the internet!

Hello again! Since Valentine’s Day is almost here, I thought I would make a fun card for all the people who are not looking forward to it. I am sure that most people can relate or know someone in the situation where their dream date turned out to be a dud in person, or not so great once you really got to know them. Anyway, because so many people are finding love on the internet by chatting on social networking websites like Facebook or sites like Match.com, I thought that this stamp was especially funny, and I just had to use it in a project this month!

Click here to see this stamp in the Viva Las Vegastamps! online store.

I made this card using a black A2 sized card. For the background, I chose a pattern that made me think of a comic book. I thought this pattern looked like the colored pixels you see when you look very closely at a picture in a magazine or newspaper. I colored my stamped image with Copic markers and then I assembled the card as you see in the photo. I put the matted stamped image on pop dots to be sure that it would stand out against the busy, but appropriate, background paper.

Be sure to keep coming back to the Viva Las Vegastamps! blog for more great ideas for their fun stamps. If you want to see my other Viva Las Vegastamps! projects, feel free to visit my blog at Create & Craft. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Thanks for stopping by!

Simple with wings

Hey everybody!! DeeDee here today!! I've been needing some super simple yet nice note cards to throw into the bags that people purchase at the craft show coming up! So this weekend I sat down and spritzed some paper with ink.. then stamped some of my favorite VLVS! images! 

One of my favorites was using this butterfly:

Butterfly Gossamer/Small 1 3/4 x 1 1/4

to make this beauty: 

It was really very easy.. I used Barn Door and Mustard Seed distress stain.. I smeared them on my non stick craft sheet and then spritzed them with water. I did my best to gather tons of ink to my paint brush.. and flung it at the cardstock! I dried my piece with a heat gun and then grabbed my butterfly stamp. I used Memento's Tuxedo Black to stamp the beauties in :) 

A nice handmade card will make my customers want to come back! 

do you like simple cards with little embellishing? I'm finding that this really makes the stamp the center of attention!

Life’s A Beach Card with Sand from Cancun!

Last June, I was in Mexico for business and had just a few minutes to run to the beach and feel the water before heading back to the airport for the trip home to Ohio. In those short minutes, I couldn't resist filling an empty water bottle with sand, knowing it might come in handy for some future craft project. Well, the time has come.
I thought these four stamps from Viva Las Vegastamps! would make a great beach scene:
- Alien Sun Tanning 1 1/4 x 2 (#2277)- Sunbathing Lady 2 x 2 3/4 (#2414)- Sunbathing Lady 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 (#14263)- Life's A Beach 1 1/4 x 2 1/4 (#14215)


I stamped the three figures and then cut them out with my new cutting machine - the Zing! It does an AMAZING job fussy cutting because it has a 3-point laser alignment system. And it's fast! It cuts 20" per second!

The stamped figures were colored with Copic markers.

I created the umbrella with the Zing too. Each piece is made by taking a triangle and "cutting out" a circle from the bottom of it. A stir stick inked with Brushed Corduroy makes the perfect umbrella pole.
To make the card base, I started with a cream colored card and used Faded Jeans and Wild Honey distress inks to make the sky. The inks were applied with an ink applicator in a circular motion on a non-stick craft sheet.

To make the beach, I applied three overlapping strips of 1" wide Miracle Tape to the card, trimming the top strip so it had a bit of a wave too it before adhering it to the card. I dumped on some of my Cancun sand, used a brayer to be sure it was pushed down on to the tape and shook off the excess. The tape does a great job holding the sand. Instant beach!

I attached the pieces to the card base using Miracle Tape and foam dots. I added a bit more sand around the base of the umbrella pole using liquid glue.

To see more of my projects, check out my blog on Create & Craft.
Happy Crafting!
Joe

Win a Pound O' Rubber from Viva Las Vegastamps!

Love a "Pound of Rubber"
You can win yourself a pound of Rubber as easy at 1,2,3
1) share this post on your Facebook Page
2) Like our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/vlvstamps
3) Become a follower and leave a comment on our blog http://www.vivalas.blogspot.com/
... leave us a comment on our Facebook Page that you did all three..
 We'll pick a winner on Valentine's Days - FEB 14th. Hope to see 2000 likes on our facebook page by then...

Order Terri Sproul's Mixers!

One of the most exciting new products introduced as CHA Winter 2012 were Terri Sproul's Mixers. These "Jewel Effects" can be mixed into 3-D Crystal Lacquer and creates a paint like product. These Mixers work on Metal, Wood and Paper. There are a total of 35 colors and colors can be mixed for endless combinations. There's also a "Color Enhance" that helps enhance the color and gives you a complete deeper, richer look and for the bling in us, Terri has come out with "Ultra Fine Glitter".

See Video Tutorial at:

http://youtu.be/LEkOUN33al0

as well as on the Viva Las Vegastamps! Home Page http://www.stampo.com

Viva Las Vegastamps! is currently the only source for these and you can order the individual colors or Order The Whole Shebang and save.  Order now at http://www.vlvstamps.com/terri-sproul-s-mixers-1.html

"Giving a Basket of Amore" using Viva Las Vegastamps! and new Sakura Terri Sproul Mixers

Happy Saturday Everybody! It's Susan here with my top of the month project to share. Love is in the air and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. So I am sharing a "Basket of Hearts" Amore card I've created using Viva Las Vegastamps!...AND...the brand new Terri Sproul Mixers by Sakura Hobby Crafts. These are powders and glittery goodness to be added to Sakura Crystal Lacquer.


And guess what??? Viva Las Vegastamps! will be the very first retailer to carry Terri's new line. I got to meet our Fairy Craftmother last weekend at CHA in California...she is fun and fabulous - just like in her videos! So keep a lookout for these SUPER NEW products in the VLVS Online Store soon!!

This is Terri and I just prior to the CharityWings.org Flash Mob!

For today's project I used two stamps from Viva Las Vegastamps! Basket of Hearts #405 and Woven Thatch Background #10153. I started off with a sheet of wine colored cardstock and I stamped both images with Stewart Superior Memories Regal Burgundy Pigment ink and embossed using VLVS Ultra High Gloss embossing powder. I also stamped the section of the hearts in basket onto lavender and pink cardstock and embossed. Then I gave it detail with Sakura Terri Sproul Mixers!!! For the woven thatched background of the basket and the handle, too, I mixed some of the Yellow Pearl Jewel Effects Mixer with Crystal Lacquer. It went right over the embossed stamped image and kept the detail. Then I mixed up Red Pearl Jewel Effects Mixer and painted in hearts on the pink and lavender paper. One color takes on an entirely different life when painted on different colored papers - especially dark papers.

The mixers stay transparent while adding shimmer and a touch of color. You have total control of the intensity of the Mixers color, by adding a little or a lot of the powders to Crystal Lacquer. AND it dries quickly, too!!! I for one am the queen of Stickles {glitter adhesives} and really don't use them for most projects because of length of drying time. Now that I've played with the new Sakura Terri Sproul Mixers...I can't see why I would ever use them {Stickles} again. I am totally hooked! Did I mention there are 30 different colors and additives in the Mixers line. I had this piece of scrap paper with a heart and the word "Amore" that I also accented by layering strokes of yellow and red Mixers with a paintbrush. This really made the sentiment "POP". I fussy cut and paper pieced the hearts in the basket and finished assembly of card with coordinating patterned paper scraps and a sheer organza bow. I now have a lovely Valentine for my special someone!

It's a new month which means a new VLVS Theme Challenge for February! Submit your "LOVE" theme creations using Viva Las Vegastamps! for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate at the VLVS online store. CLICK HERE for info on submissions. Don't forget to check out the Viva Las Vegastamps! store.

Don't forget to browse around a little while to see what our talented Design Team has been up to.

Thanks so much for visiting & if you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. Happy Saturday : )