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!

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. 

September Winners

Hi hi folks!! We've got a couple WINNERS to announce from our September Challenge!

By popular vote the talented Harikini is our winner!

She's used our  

Butterfly Specimens,  

Men in Balloon Basket 

and  

Weathered Tree.

Harikini please feel free to use the following image on your blog as our voted winner!!

And our RANDOM winner is Carla.

Congrats both ladies, please email me @ deedee430@gmail.com with your shipping address to collect your rubber!

And don't forget to enter to win in our SPOOKY October Challenge.

Clearsnap + VLVS! Final Day!!

WOW! What a week jam packed with BEAUTIFUL inspiration!!

Here's a GIANT thank you to Clearsnap for partnering up with us :) Both design teams have presented some beautiful work using their inks and our stamps!


It's a sweet sadness that I get to share with you today.. the final day of our collaboration! At least it's one more chance to revel in beauty.

So one more time... I'm sharing THREE projects with you today!!

The first by Sandra Strait!



Supplies:
VLVS! Stamps

Art Is The Last 1 1/2 x 1 1/2

Charred Wood BackGround 4 1/2 x 5 3/4

Clearsnap Colorbox Inkpads
Archival dye-Gooseberry, Coral, Key Lime Pie
Fluid Chalk-Peach Pastel,,Aquamarine, Alabaster
Clearsnap Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink-Molasses, Green Apple
Other
5x7 Vellum Bristol paper, Golden Clear Granular gel medium, Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder,

White gel pen, 3D foam dots, Palette knife, Ink blending tools--bullet and brush tips.
 To create this beauty she says "Recently I've been painting landscapes using inkpads for color.  When I was allowed to choose some products from Clearsnap for this blog hop, I went hunting through the catalog for just the right colors to match a photo that I had.


I blocked in all the colors by pouncing the inkpads where needed.  I dotted part of the Charred Wood stamp and embossed it to create ripples in the water (whichh doesn't show well in the scans). Then I loaded up a brush tip ink blending tool with Gooseberry and Aquamarine to draw the trees. I added more colors with the ink blending tools and when satisfied, I slathered on the granular gel medium.  When it was dry, I colored it with the molasses smooch, and added some Green Apple smooch for the leaves.  When you hold it up to the light the smooch glimmers as though the sun is shining through.  The last step was to stamp the 'Art is the last form of magic that exists' on a seperate piece of paper and adhere it with 3D foam dots.  Including drying time for the gel medium to dry, this took about 45 minutes to do."
Second we have Lyneen:


  Lyneen says "Spray Smooch Spritz on Kromcote Cardstock 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 for base background.  Use star shaped puncinella and ColorBox Raspberry Ink with finger dauber. Cut in half to make two cards.  Stamped images with ColorBox Chocolate Ink and hear embossed with VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder.  Highlight images with Smooch. Trim with May Arts fibers. "

She's used the following supplies:

Kromcote Cardstock
Miracle Tape
Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder
Chevron Banner
Walkies for Otto
Large Flying Bird
Men in Balloon Basket



Clearsnap Products:
Smooch Spritz - Pink Sprinkles
Smooch - Mocha
Smooch - Silver Fox
Smooch - Gold Lame
ColorBox Chocolate Ink
ColorBox Raspberry Ink

And we're rounding off the week with Pinky!

 Pinky says these cards are easy peasy and that's great because they're sarcastic, witty, snarky, and so perfect for SO many of our closest friends! Whip a couple up and pop 'em in the mail!
Products Used:
Clearsnap Colorbox Inks
VLVS Plate 1404
Clear Scraps acrylic
Bazzill Cardstock
Miracle Tape 1/4"

1. Trim Acrylic to 4X6.
2. Trim Bazzill to 4X7.
3. Punch Bazzill edge.
4. Use bone folder to fold card at 6" mark.
5. Adhere to acrylic using Miracle Tape.
6. Using Colorbox ink pads, VLVS images and white cardstock. Graduate color on stamp and stamp onto white card stock.
Repeat with second word image.
7. Adhere stamped phrase to front of card.

Here's a great big THANK YOU to everyone who's participated this week and everyone who's shown up to be inspired.

Don't forget both Clearnsap and VLVS! are having giveaways.. comment all week long for a chance to win your choice of a plate o' rubber.. and enter Clearsna's rafflecopter giveaway for some of their favorite inks!!

HURRY OVER TO THE CLEARSNAP BLOG!

Guest Designer : Sandy!!

This month I have the distinct pleasure of sharing the work of TWO Guest Designers with you :) I may have flopped some words in an email and scheduled two designers for the same month, but it turns out to be a real treat for our readers!!

Welcome our 2nd November 2012 Guest Designer... Sandy Alsfasser! 

Sandy says "Mixed media is my favorite art form. Searching for just the right color paint or stamp pad and item to finish a piece is all part of the adventure.  Each piece fills in a piece of a puzzle where the outcome is unpredictable until the last piece is in place.  I'm always searching for new techniques and new altered art projects and love playing with dyes, inks, and stamps.  Viva Las VegaStamps! quirky stamps always make me smile - please feel free to check out my blog to see what I'm up to." Her blog can be found @ http://altered-artifacts.blogspot.com/

Today she has this magnificent card and envelope for us:

From plate893 she used:
Large Wasp

Time Flies

Hot Air Balloon with Flags

and the Flying Watch

She's also used

Einstein's Tongue and Fly

About her project:

The background on the stamped card front was created on white card stock using three colors of Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood and Stormy Sky.  Words, watch, Albert Einstein and hot air balloon were stamped with StazOn's Midnight Blue ink pad; and the flies were stamped using StazOn's Jet Black ink pad.  An extra hot air balloon was stamped, trimmed and colored with a yellow highlighter to mimic a light bulb going off over Al's head.  His hair was colored in with a white opaque pen from Ranger; another clock face was stamped on white card stock, outside colored with a red Sharpie marker and affixed on top of original stamped watch with pop dots.  Various areas were then "painted" with Elmer's White Glue and dusted with Martha Stewart's extra fine crystal glitter (my very favorite go-to glitter) for a more fun look.  This sheet was then attached to a slightly larger piece of navy blue card stock using double sided tape.  Navy background card stock was attached in the same manner to a stock white blank greeting card.

The words "Time flies" were stamped again on the left side inside of the card using Midnight Blue StazOn ink.  Another watch and wings image was also stamped with the Midnight Blue StazOn on an additional piece of the white card stock.  This image was then colored, glittered, cut out and attached to the right inside of the card with a tiny spring coil made from very fine metal beading wire coiled around a pencil and then attached to the card and cut-out with double-sided tape.

 

The red envelope was purchased, stamped on the front, and stamped on the back utilizing the flies and watch once again.  Stamped images were decorated and glittered; and the inside of the envelope was lined with navy card stock to complement the card.  Enjoy!

Give Sandy a big round of applause and leave her some nice comments for taking the time to share her work with us today :)

Guest Designer Post #2

It's time for the 2nd post of the month from our Guest Designer Gabi!!

 Don't forget Gabi's blog can be found HERE.

Our Guest Designers are only asked to do 2 projects, one for each post, but Gabi went above and beyond and did TWICE the amount.. so I have two more pieces to share from her today:

 She used our:
Balloon Airship - 3.25" x 5" - $14.25
and

Accordion Player and Fan - 2.5" x 3" - $10.00

for this beauty

 and for this vibrant tag she used

Nesting Gears - 2.75" x 3.75" - $11.50

I've been Steampunked - 1" x 1.75" - $6.25

and

Rabbit on Bicycle (small) - 1.25" x 1.5" - $6.25

Thanks so much Gabi!! Your work has been beautiful and I've really enjoyed sharing it with the VLVS! Fans this month. ♥DeeDee