Flight of the Painted Butterfly... March #12tags2015 Viva Las VegaStamps! Style

Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps! Susan here today to share with you some inky, painted stamped goodness... inspiration courtesy of T!m's 12 Tags of 2015 for March. I've created my version of this month's tag using loads of Viva Las VegaStamps! images to set my butterfly aflight in a rainbow painted sky.

This wouldn't be entirely VLVS! style if I used my store-bought tissue tape... so I've made my own with some of my fav VLVS! stamps – it's so quick and easy! Grab a sheet of recycled tissue paper and stamp repeatedly with a variety of stamps using Jet Black StazOn Ink, filling up sheet {see below for links to all stamps used}.

Turn tissue over, line with strips of 3/4" Miracle Tape across sheet and burnish down.

Then gently tear strips apart to give a nice distressed edge. Easy-peasy!

Here's my homemade VLVS! tissue tape – it looks just as pretty as the readymade, right!

Next I applied torn sections of my various tapes to my blank tag.

Now time for the marbelized painted background using Ranger Distress Paint.

I substituted a few colors for the colors I have in my stash.

Dried background after heat setting ready for stamping!

Using Versafine Pigment Ink, I stamped the "Butterfly Striped Large" #9506, then embossed with VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder – which when heat set, really made the black butterfly POP off the painted tag. If I hadn't embossed it, the black stamped image would have looked dull and melted into the background. I repeated process adding the "Small Bee" #19012. I stamped each off onto removable stickyback paper to make masks and fussy cut to prepare for the gilding to come.

Since I wanted to use stamps for the gilded parts, I skipped the steps using stencil with dimensional paste. I have a secret weapon to get a real dense embossing with embossing powder that looks pretty amazing. I apply Globecraft & Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive {comes in a dauber top bottle} which is a nice, thick fluid that grabs a lot of embossing powder. I stamped the "Cracked Background" #16208 and "Chicken Wire" #5757 over the masked images and applied gold embossing powder... then heatset to reveal the beautiful gold gilded goodness, careful not to overheat and melt the embossed butterfly and bee. Just gorgeous!!!

Now for the finishing touches... some sari ribbon and fibers to tie off the top and a Tim Holtz Idea-ology metal word band phrase rubbed with metallic distress paints; a pen nib for the butterfly's body {seemed out of place floating in the background}; and a punched distressed painted metal foil paper butterfly using a Sizzix movers and shapers die accented with bronze gems for the body. 

"Flight of the Painted Butterfly"

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From Viva Las VegaStamps:

"Butterfly Striped Large" #9506

"Small Bee" #19012

"Cracked Background" #16208

"Chicken Wire" #5757

"Pretty Lady Stamp/Cancellation" #17538

"Paris Address" #17539

"Grunge 1787 Writing Background" #17545

"Dictionary Page" #19015

"Patent" #1687

3/4" Miracle Tape

Jet Black StazOn Ink

Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder

Other Supplies: handmade cardstock #12 size tag; scrap of distressed aluminum tape paper; rainbow and metallic colors of Ranger Distress Paints; Globecraft & Piccolo Embossing Powder Adhesive; Clearsnap Gold Embossing Powder; Versafine Black Pigment Ink; Sizzix Movers and Shapers Mini Butterflies; Tim Holtz Idea-ology metal word band; bronze adhesive backed gems; pen nib; sari ribbon and decorative fiber.

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Thanks so much for dropping by! Ready for Spring??! I hope you will join us and play along with the March inspiration challenge {CLICK HERE for details}. Just make a creation using the inspiration above and your stash of VLVS! stamps... you could win more RUBBER! Take some time to browse around the blog here and the amazing creations from the entire VLVS! Team... 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. Hope you have a fabulous day!!  Sb

I Dare You... to Take a Chance and Stamp!

Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps! May is over tomorrow - where did the month go? Susan here today for some super fun birthday cards. What do crafty pals do when they are already pushing the time envelope??? They dare each other to do something WILD and CRAZY... just for fun.

DeeDee, our team leader and I have dared each other to enter the Gallery Idol Competition. If we make the top twenty selected that move on to round two tomorrow - we will be entering JUNE MADNESS. I am on the edge of my seat waiting to hear and see what the next challenge will be. And even if we don't make the cut - we are still going to complete all the challenge round themes. It's going to be a blast!

For the first round audition round theme was birthday cards for kids and teens. So FUN! This was a challenge - BUT - with the my huge stash of Viva Las VegaStamps! at my disposal, I was able to enter some really fun cards. This fun card using "Hippo with Party Hat" #1454 is one of my entries. I had about five different cards in the works and she made the cut. I made my own tissue tape with Miracle Tape and Miracle Sheets. The colored tissue comes with a tissue wrap with the printed "happy birthday" on it; except for the yellow. The yellow tissue section I created by stamping the "Happy Happy Birthday" #10479 stamp repeatedly in Milled Lavendar Ranger Distress Ink. The green tissue at the top is recycled from a gift I received {I've been having fun using this craftily}. I fussy cut an hand colored my party girl with my Ranger Distress Markers and grounded her on a strip of grey spotted washi tape. I finished her off with some eyelash googlie eyes - no card is complete until you add some GOOGLIES! The bright colored tissue really makes the party girl pop.

Now for another card using "Alligator Present" #9129. This is so fun and festive! I didn't enter this one, but one can never have too many birthday cards on hand. I just totally fell in love with this stamp and it made me laugh out loud. It has a blank little tag in the image and the "Don't Freak Me Out" #18327 fit perfectly in it's place. Stamped in black on yellow painted paper with Mustard Seed Ranger Distress Ink and hand colored with my markers. I added some shimmery details and polka dots with my Gelly Roll Stardust pen. The border is the "Happy Happy Birthday" #10479 stamped about 10 times to create a pattern stripe using Clearsnap Colorbox Khaki Green Dye ink.

**TIP FOR THE DAY** Try out different themed stamps for different occasions. Play around and have fun! Cut your images apart to use just a section, or stamp a repeating pattern. This gives you endless possibilities with your stash of rubber.

Aren't these cards fun with just a few stamps???

Now for a DARE... I challenge all of you to play along, too and share your Viva Las VegaStamps! creations with us on the Viva Las VegaStamps! Facebook page. The Gallery Idol challenge will be announced sometime on Friday... we can't wait!

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Supplies used: STAMPS - "Happy Happy Birthday" #10479, "Alligator Present" #9129, "Don't Freak Me Out" #18327, and "Hippo with Party Hat" #1454. Other supplies: cardstock; Staz-On Black ink; Miracle Tape; googlie eyes, photo corners; Ranger Distress Markers; Milled Lavendar & Mustard Seed Ranger Distress Inks; Clearsnap Colorbox Khaki Green Dye Ink; Gelly Stardust Pen and a water brush.

Thanks so much for dropping by. Have you seen what the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team has been up to or dropped by the Viva Las Vegastamps! store lately? 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... Sb

Get all the details HERE -- hop to it, the deadline to apply is June 7th at midnight pacific standard time. You know you want to be a part of this team... go ahead - give it a try!

Collaged Season's Greetings with a View of the London Skyline

Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps!!! I hope you are having a terrific Tuesday. Susan here sharing a stamped Holiday Card with a collage background using some homemade tissue tape.

A Reminder - this month we are having a special "December Daily" week-long event in which the whole design team has been challenged to create with the VLVS! December Daily plate #1430.

For today's project I made homemade stamped tissue tape... YES - I made it myself! It's pretty easy, too. All you need is some tissue, a stamp, ink and your trusty Miracle Tape in whatever width you desire your tissue tape to be.

Using a warm grey ink, I stamped Jingle Bells #10686 repeatedly across a section of recycled tissue {that has already been gently crinkled here and there}. I tore stamped tissue into strips - I might add this really looks like the ready-made store bought stuff, too!

Then I grabbed my Miracle Tape and adhered it to the back of the tissue strips. I varied the thickness of Miracle Tape to the width of my torn musical tissue strips.

I stamped Fancy Border #18951 with Versafine Black Ink onto lower section of my kraft card base. I peeled off the backing and collaged my tissue tape to my card base. Easy peasy! Then I rubbed with a gesso acrylic mixture to mute the color and aged with Old Paper Distress Ink.

Stamps used: London Skyline #10597, Christmas Trees Small #18941, Fancy Border #18951, Jingle Bells #10686, and Season's Greetings #18944.

I masked off the border with post-it notes and began stamping in the scene. Using black Versafine ink, I stamped the Christmas Trees, then overlapped London skyline, and finished off with "Season's Greetings" sentiment. I gently heat set ink to dry and rubbed antique gold dew drop ink around card edges. The card is finished off with May Arts paper raffia and by adding some black gems along the fancy border.

Presenting my collaged "Season's Greetings" card!

Thanks so much for dropping by today! Hang around a little while and check out what the rest of the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team has been up to. Don't forget to visit the Viva Las Vegastamps! store - for all your stamping needs and for every occasion...and MIRACLE TAPE, too!

If you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. I'll be back with another stamping adventure real soon! Hope you have an inky day! Sb