Is it time for Halloween yet? Spooky card with Josefine.

Halloween! My favorite time of the year for card making. While I'm waiting for the new Halloween stamps (from Plate 1504) to arrive at home, I wanted to get a head start with my Halloween crafts using some older Halloween stamps.

I started with a slightly different idea. I wanted to create a shining moon for the Bats over Moon stamp, so I started with ink blending a light color onto some watercolor paper.

But the moonlight ended up being a much larger area. I just rolled with it because I wanted to know where it takes me.

To add some initial texture, I sued some simple bubble wrap and stamped the same inks all over the background. Before stamping, I misted the bubble wrap with some water.

Then I added a variety of mark-making stamps to the background - again, using the same colors that I used for the initial ink blending.

Here you can see the finished background (waiting for the water to dry ;) ).

Now I stamped the bats.

I also stamped the Halloween labels onto a piece of cardstock and decorated it with some of the stamps that I used for the background. I then cut them out and distressed the edges.

I wanted to mount the card onto a separate piece of black cardstock to make it stand out a bit more. To give that background piece some texture, I stamped the Beware Of stamp using white ink. You don't see much of it at the end - mainly that awesome font.

After I adhered the pieces together, I added a bit of ribbon and a trinket - and voila, the first Halloween card of the year is done.

Wit a lot of fun texture :)

When my husband saw the card, he was reminded of the movie Suicide Squad... the colors match it pretty nicely.

Stamps used:

Plate 1504

Bats over Moon

Mercurial Ointment

Beware Of

Rows of Numbers

Carved Xs

Row of Distressed Lines

Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Messy Artist Trading Cards with Josefine

Hello everyone! I'm so excited to be up on the Viva Las VegaStamps! blog again. This time with a variety of ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) highlighting some of Brian Kesinger's images. 

And - surprise - I had enough time to make a video, showing you how these cards came together. I don't know about you, but I feel that I have less time than normal at the moment, so every time I get the chance to craft, my heart is so happy.

But without further ado, here is my video:

I hope you enjoyed it. Have you ever created ATCs? Combined them to a mini booklet? One of these days I have to do that. 

Check out all the ATCs. I love that I now have some backgrounds that I can use when I have little time to craft. Plus, all these marks are just so fun.

Here are some close ups of the main piece.

 

All the stamps that I've used:

• Bettie Mermaid
• Not in Kansas anymore
• Cross Marks Background
• Row of Distressed Lines
• Grungey Strip of Stars
• Doodle Frame
• Typeset Scallop 2
• Large Star Chart
• Carved X's
• Plate 1495 has a lot of the mark making stamps I used

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please stay healthy!

Es Neta | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone!

It's Sue Plumb here to share my latest design team project with you. Today I am sharing a mixed media scrapbook layout I created to document some fun photos of me that were taken at a local Mexican restaurant. 

For my page, I took my inspiration from the colourful striped blanket in the background of the photo. I began by adding some red and yellow acrylic paint to my cardstock, swiping each of them randomly across the page.

I wanted to draw in the striped pattern from the blanket to add structure, so I used the Row of Distressed Lines stamp several times horizontally down the page using black ink. I also used the Texture Background stamp vertically down the central line of my page.

With the black ink down over the paint, I also wanted to draw in a small amount of the green that could also be seen on the blanket. I used the Scribble Circle stamp with 'Mowed Lawn' Distress Oxide. I stamped the image three times in its entirety, but then also used one edge of it to stamp extra colour randomly down the page (as you can see below).

With my background colours in place, it was time to add some texture to my page. I gathered together an assortment of items to use as layers behind my photos - black & white striped tissue paper; a die cut black tag; a green paint sample card; some yellow punchinella; and some frayed gauze. I stapled the layers in place before adding my photos on top.

Once the photos were down, it was time to add some embellishments. I started by adding a round Charms Creations handmade circle alongside them, before adding the Curly Moustache that I had stamped onto white cardstock and cut out, on top. Behind that, I tucked a little die cut cactus and then a small die cut banner along the bottom edge of my photos. I also tied a little piece of green and white striped twine onto my black tag.

To finish off my layout, I stamped the Incredible As It Seems stamp multiple times; added the title "Es Neta" (which means "it's true" in Spanish) using Thickers; and then added my journalling at the bottom of the page using a felt pen.

Thanks for stopping by so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to get inky too!

Stamps used:

- Row of Distressed Lines

- Texture Background

- Scribble Circle

- Curly Moustache

- Incredible As It Seems

Other materials:

- Miracle Tape

- Art-C acrylic paints

- Tsukineko Staz On ink

- Ranger Distress Oxide

- Assorted layering materials (as specified above)

- Charms Creations circle embellishment

- Die cuts

- American Crafts Thickers

- Felt pen

Guest Inspiration Team : Elisa Ablett

Hi Viva Las Vegas Stamp fans,

Elisa here from the Guest Inspiration team with my next project for you featuring a load of gorgeous VLV Stamps.

My husband went on his first international trip last year to Spain for work and was under strict instructions to take loads of photos for me to Scrapbook with and create a travel journal for him.

I decided to create a travel themed Scrapbook page with one of his snapshots of the Basilica in Barcelona (it was under construction). Add some vintage themed papers from 13Arts designed by Fiona Paltridge to the VLV stamps with a bit of mixed media and I am so happy with the result. This design can be easily reproduced as an Art Journal page or as a page in a Travel Journal.

Let's take a closer look at the great VLV stamps that feature -

The 'Map of the World' Stamp was used with great effect in the background along with a few of the great background stamps from Plate 1495.

To fit in with my vintage travel look for the layout, I stamped 'One Way Sign' and 'Pointing Finger' and then coloured them with a Distress Oxide Ink Pad. I also included a Kraft Pocket Envelope to slip train tickets, entry tickets, memorabilia etc.underneath the photo cluster.

I stitched old sewing patterns to cardstock to create my own background paper, this is a great tip for those who love junk journalling!

To draw your attention to the photo cluster. add background stamping 'X Circle' and 'Row of Distress Lines' along with a wood veneer arrow and a cityscape die cut.

VLVS! Supplies: Stamp name :

Plate 1495,

Map of the World

X Circle

Row of Distressed Lines

Cross Marks Background

One Way Sign

Pointing Finger

Ink pads : Staz on - Black

Other Supplies:
Sewing Patterns
Sewing Machine
13arts Conversations on a Train by Fiona Paltridge
Wood Veneer - Here Sign, Location Arrows
Map Scrapbooking Paper - Unknown
Black Pico Embellisher
City Scape Die Cut - Uniquely Creative
Kraft Pocket
Decoart Tissue Paper
Ranger Distress Inks - Fired Brick, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain

Thank you for stopping by the blog today !

Hugs
Elisa xo

Ethos tags | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone!

It's Sue Plumb here to share my latest design team project with you. Today I have some mixed media tags to share that I created to showcase some of the fabulous "Ethos" stamps (from Plate #1502) designed by Tina Walker. 

I began by cutting my own tags from some smooth white cardstock using a tag die. I then used Ranger Distress Oxides to create a watercolour style background. I used a combination of three colours (Cracked Pistachio; Twisted Citron and Tumbled Glass) and swiped each of the pads onto my craft mat. I then added a little water using a spray bottle and used the tip of my finger to swirl and mix the colours a little before dabbing the tags face down to soak up the ink.

I then set the tags aside to dry. I love the effect that this technique gives, and the fact that each tag was different.

Once the background colour was in place, it was time to add some background detail. I chose a variety of stamps to use for the backgrounds, stamping each one with Stormy Sky Distress Oxide.

The stamps I used for the backgrounds were:

- Bubble Wrap Texture

- Typeset Scallop

- Row of Distressed Lines

- Cross Marks Background

- Carved Xs

I added a sentiment to the bottom of each tag using the Create Art Every Day stamp which I stamped using Faded Jeans Distress Oxide. I then used the same ink to stamp out each of the Ethos stamps I had chosen to feature on my tags. (You will see that many of the stamped images are "imperfect" - this is exactly the effect I was looking for by using the Distress Oxides and works well with the hand carved look of these stamps.)

With all of my feature images stamped out, I simply fussy cut around each one and then began constructing my tags. 

Using the Faded Jeans Distress Oxide gave me the inspiration to include a small amount of denim fabric on each of the tags. (I LOVE denim!) I simply cut some scraps from an old pair of jeans and used my Tim Holtz tiny attacher to secure the pieces onto the tags. 

I also added some messy white cotton thread onto each of the tags before using foam tape to mount each of the feature images on top. I finished off each tag by punching a larger hole at the top and tying another scrap of denim fabric through it.

The Ethos stamps I featured on my tags were:

- Ethos Hands (pictured above)

- Ethos Owl (at left, below)

- Ethos Flower (at right, below)

From left to right below:

- Ethos Woman

- Ethos Circular Eye

- Ethos Seeing Eye

And finally, Ethos Seeing Double (as shown below).

Thanks so much for stopping by today, I hope I have inspired you to get inky too!

Stamps used: 

- Bubble Wrap Texture

- Typeset Scallop

- Row of Distressed Lines

- Cross Marks Background

- Carved Xs

- Create Art Every Day 

- Ethos Hands

- Ethos Owl

- Ethos Flower

- Ethos Woman

- Ethos Circular Eye

- Ethos Seeing Eye

- Ethos Seeing Double

Other materials:

- Tag die

- White cardstock

- Ranger Distress Oxides

- Denim fabric

- Staples

- White cotton thread

- Foam tape

Be a Mermaid | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone!

Sue Plumb here to share my latest design team project with you. Today I am sharing simple a 12x12" scrapbook page I created using one of my favourite stamps as a focus. I have recently been sick in hospital and unable to sit up and create; so a simple yet effective technique was just what I need to get my hands dirty again.

I decided to create this layout to document my daughter's achievements at her school swimming carnival last year, and what better feature shape than with a star? The Squiggly Star Collage is one of my absolute fave pieces of VLVS rubber, so I decided to use it multiple times.

I started by painting some scrap pieces of cardstock using Ranger Dylusions paints. I then stamped out my stars using black StazOn ink, then cut them out and set them aside.

Next, I got a fresh sheet of white cardstock, and used the Row of Distressed Lines stamp to add some structure to my page to begin working from. I kept the background to simple black on white as I wanted the colours of the stars to pop.

I used a small piece of Miracle Tape on the back of each star to adhere them around my page. Once in place, I used the Grunge 2 to stamp a number two onto each of the red stars, and the Grunge 3 to stamp a three onto the green ones to represent the second and third ribbons she won.

I then arranged my photos together, added some cardboard to the back and stuck them onto my page. I used the She Spread Her Wings stamp several times around my page, along with the Star Sliding stamp to reinforce the star theme. 

To finish off, I used the Always Be Yourself/Mermaid stamp to provide a focal quote and title; before splattering some Colour Blast 'Citrus' Colour Artist Ink around my page.

I then added my journalling using a Sharpie pen and stamped the date.

I was really happy with how this page came out with the bright splashes of colour against the white background. 

Thanks for stopping by so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to get inky too!

Stamps used: 

- Squiggly Star Collage

- Row of Distressed Lines

- Grunge 2

- Grunge 3

- She Spread Her Wings

- Star Sliding

- Always Be Yourself/Mermaid

Other materials:

 - Miracle Tape

- White Cardstock

- StazOn ink

- Ranger Dylusions acrylic paints

- Colour Blast Colour Artist Ink

- Sharpie pen