Adventure Awaits - ICAD

Hi everyone,

This year's ICAD challenge is almost over and today's index card is already no. 60 out of 61. Of course, I had to do one more with some VLVS stamps that I want to share with you today. It's a simple one and you could easily recreate this design for a card. So I'm giving you a quick overview about how I made this.

I started with collaging old book page fragments for my background. I added a layer of gesso as well as some Distress Paints so it does not appear too busy.
I chose the world map for my background, but wanted it to kind of fade into the background. Therefore, I did some second generation stamping, which means that I stamped the image onto a scrap paper and then onto my card without reinking the stamp. This way you can get a lighter impression.
To finish the background I used a blending tool to ink the egdes in brown.

For the focal points I used another trick: My background had some texture from the book pages, but there were some fine details in the stamps I wanted to use. So instead of stamping them directly onto the card, I used a napkin (one of the white layers when you seperate the napkin). I like using pigment ink for this technique because the impression is a bit better and even with a stamping platform I'm not able to stamp the image twice.
After leaving the napkin to dry for a minute or two, I tore the images (a slightly wet brush helps) and glued them to the card with matte medium. Make sure you don't use this technique on a water-reacvtive background.

Just added the quote that I stamped onto another piece of a book page and that's it for my card.

Stamps used:

Men In Balloon Basket (19002)
Paris Skyline (10995)
Map of the World (19340)
Adventure Awaits (19009)

Other material:
- Index card 3 x 5 inch
- old book/ledger paper
- Archival Ink (Potting soil, Blue violet)
- Versafine Ink (Onyx black)
- Distress Paint (Stormy sky, Broken China, Tumbled glass)
- napkin (white or plane layer from seperating printed napkins)
- matte gel medium (not a heavy one)


See you soon!

Mail Art Monday with Susanne

Hi my dear crafty friends!

It's Mail Art monday and I'm sharing a vintage mail art envelope today.

I used the Whimsical Door, Tall Stork and Baby, Elves on a Line as my main images on the homemade envelope from tea dyed paper.

I hope you enjoy my video tutorial:

Thank you for stopping by today.
xx Susanne

Supplies:
Viva Las VegaStamps!:
Wild Mushrooms
Whimsical Door
Tall Stork and Baby
Elves on a Line
Adventure Awaits
harlequin Diamond Background
Leafy Twig
Others:
Distress Oxide: Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint
Colored Pencils

August WINNERS!

We have some winners to announce for AUGUST's Challenge! :)

Our voted winner is the talented Kristiina Majuri with this beauty:

Adventure Awaits | Weathered Tree | Writing Circles | Men in Balloon Basket
Six Staples | Butterfly Specimens | Measuring Tape Section

Congratulations on your beautiful win Kristiina! 

Don't forget to display our badge, Kristiina.

And our random winner is Sheri Levitt! 

Both ladies please email me @ deedee430@gmail.com with your shipping address and we'll get you a grab bag o' rubber! Congrats to the both of you!!

Just a few days left to enter our September challenge to win yourself. 

Stamping with Pan Pastels {with technique video}

Our 2nd post today is brought to you by Amy Lassiter and she's stamping with a paste made from her PanPastels -- CHECK IT OUT!

 

Hello stampy friends! It's Amy here today,to share a layout I created using some fun techniques with Pan Pastels AND Viva Las VegaStamps! It was so fun to play with a new medium, and to create something a little bit out of my box in style. :)

I used the Pan Pastels both wet and dry. I had fun finding a few techniques, that were easy and gave a big impact at the same time. The vibrant colors were great to blend and layer, and I used them all over the page, to give the paint splash look, as well as to stamp with!

For the wider sections of the page that are covered in color, I used the sponge wand, and gently blended colors from the inside out. Between each layer I added, I sprayed the page with Fixative to keep the pastels from flaking off. As you can see in my video below, even after using the pastels wet(which makes for a great texture relief), the fixative keeps it all in place. I could even stamp with black and blue ink over the top,as well as draw and blend (using water) with Aquarelle without smudging the pastels.

Have a look at the quick video I created to show the stamping technique I used with the Pan Pastels:

 If you'd like to see how I created a chalky type texture "paint splatter....." head over HERE to watch that video.
Thanks so much for having a look today....and give Pan Pastels a try, you may find a new medium you love (like I did!)  
Supply List: Viva Las VegaStamps!: Harlequin Diamond Background, adventure awaits, color wheel lines,, waybill/invoice background
Paper: 7 Dots Studio- Nature Walk, Prima, Glitz Design, Graphic 45
Ink: IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko, Liquitex, Lindy's Stamp Gang, Heidi Swapp Color Shine
watercolor pencil: Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Aquarelles
 Fibers: May Arts (twine), vintage Chipboard: UmWowStudio, Pink Paislee
Embellishments: 7 Gypsies, Bead Landing, Gauche Alchemy (yellow color kit), vintage
Pan Pastels: Violet, Permanent Red, Orange

Tropical Dream Journal

Hello stampers! It's Amy here today, to share a journal I created to contain all of my hopes, dreams, and future plans. Because I hope beyond hope that my future means living in Hawaii, I created the cover of this book with tropical flair.

I started by taking an old paperback children's book and covering it with a thick layer of gesso. When it was dry, I put little drips of acrylic paints in tropical colors all along the book, and went over them with a brayer.

When the paint was dry, I stamped the background using the Map Background 4 1/2 x 4 3/4 using Momento Ink in Tuxedo Black . I then layered up some scrap papers (7 Dots Studio and vintage book pages) to create a palm tree trunk (using miracle tape), and a bit for layers along the side.

I colored on the Fancy Grass/Weeds stamp, using Copic markers in mistletoe and burnt sienna, stamped them onto a library card, and fussy cut them out. I then layered them onto the base of the "tree trunk." When that was complete, I stamped the Anchor 1 1/2x2 with the black Momento ink, and fussy cut it out as well.

I created the palm fronds, by cutting cheesecloth, and spraying it with Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Mint until it was saturated. When it was try, I arranged it to create the top of the tree, and added two brown buttons from my stash, as coconuts!
Adding the adventure awaits sentiment (stamped onto a library card), a few stamped Stars, and 7 Dots Studio alpha stickers spelling out "Dream"; as well as some UmWowStudio chipboard, completed my book cover.

This was a fun, quick, and exciting project to create, and it gives me a place to journal my dreams......which is an added bonus!

Thanks so much for joining me today, and I hope I inspired you to get inky!

Supplies Used:
Viva Las VegaStamps!: Map Background, Stars, Adventure Awaits, Anchor, Fancy Grass/Weeds.
Ink: Tsukeinko Momento, Tuxedo Black; Copic Marker, burnt sienna, mistletoe
Paper: 7 Dots Studio
Chipboard: UmWowStudio