Feet Up by Tracy Blackwolf

 Hello all and Happy Mothers day!!

I made a quick card for today- enjoy

No matter what kind of mother you are- You deserve to get your feet up today!

I used Distress spray inks as watercolor paint and also colored pencils, to color the feet.

I used colored card stock to layer the card, The feet are cut out and foam tape is used to get a dimensional look.

Sweet and quick.

Now I can go get my feet up... jk! Too much to do....

Stamp used:

Feet, Lg.   9190

Dream Big by Cathy

 Hello all of you. Cathy here with a card I made.

I started out with an oldie product. Distress stain. I was cleaning my craft cart and they were just sitting there on the bottom shelf. 
I did one side of my paper with reds and pinks and the other side with blues. That is why you can see a bit of the red on the top of the card panel. I didn't know what one I was going to use. 

I stamped the saying in blue distress ink all over the background. I did a second generation stamping with the saying. I edged the card with the same ink I stamped the saying in.

Next I stamped the boy on a separate piece of paper and colored him in with Copic markers and cut out. I then stamped the banner in 2 different colors of distress ink and cut them out too.

I glued them all together and lastly, I stamped the extra dandelion seeds randomly all over the background to fill in the space.

                                                                  Stamps Used:

                                                          19042 Chevron banner

                                                          19047 Dream Big

                                                          19036 Boy in cape

                                                          19045blowing dandelion extra seeds

                                                              Other stuff used:

                                                                 Distress stain

                                                                    Copic

                                                               Distress ink

                                                               Black inkpad

                                                              White cardstock

Counting Crows... by Tracy Blackwolf

 Hello Everyone!!!   Happy Fall!!!

My favorite time of year in every way... Today I made A card for the blog project. Hope you enjoy.

I started this card by running some heavy weight mixed media paper through my big shot with the Numbered embossing folder. Then I sprayed it with several colors of distress spray stains to get the creepy, grungy look. Tip the card so the colors run a bit to get what you like. While that dried, I stamped the crows on a wire onto acetate and let that dry as well.

Next I stamped Hitchcock with birds and watercolored with the spray stains around him. I also stamped the drips of blood at this time.

Then I went to my computer to print a very old phrase to go on my card. I printed on transparency. I prefer this one from the 1800's

I used foam tape behind the cut out image of Hitchcock and tiny black foam tape behind the birds on a wire. A little clear tape on his arm to attach the phrase and two crows to hide the tape. Attach it all to a black card and done!!

Easier than it looks and here is another Halloween card for your collection. Stay artful! until next time~

Stamps used:

Birds on a wire        18098

Blood dripping      18961

Banksy Hitchcock birds      20078

Other supplies:

TH 3D texture fades- Numbered

Distress spray stains: Cracklin campfire, mustard seed, candied apple, black soot

Black staz on

Desert heat kaleidacolor ink pad

 

  

Mail Art Monday with a grungy twist

Hello Again Everyone! 

It's me Tera here again with another fun
 Mail Art Monday tutorial

For this piece I was inspired by this months inspiration board.  I just love the vintage, grungy feel of everything.  I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I do!

(and be shocked I actually remembered to take a picture at each step!!)

Stamps Used: 
Nature Collage by Cat Kerr 2 3/4 x 3 3/4
Wire Rings by Cat Kerr 2 3/4 x 2 1/4
Typewriter Keys by Cat Kerr 2 1/2 x 4
Mesh Texture 2 3/4 x 3
Writing Circles Background 1 3/4 x 4 1/2

Other Supplies: 

Black ink (Versafine Onyx Black)

Distress inks- Ground espresso, weathered wood, Iced Spruce, hickory smoke, pumice stone

distress ink blending tools

water (for droplet effect)

Distress Spray stain -Black Soot , white (picket fence)

Microns 

Begin by masking off where you want your address to be (I traced around this with my black micron).  Next I stamped my focal image to build around in black ink.



 To start my layers for the background, and give this piece depth, I stamped the next two images in "Hickory Smoke" distress ink.  

Next, I wanted to add some more foreground/mid-ground layers so I went back to black and used some of my smaller stamps to partial stamp some of the spaces.

I liked how this step looked so I used distress inks to ink the background with my ink blending tools.  This pulls the piece together, but I wanted a little more grungy feel, so I added some water droplets, as well as drops and splatters from the 2 distress stains. 

(this is the 1st layer of ink)

I let everything dry then removed my mask to reveal the final piece.

(Now to find the perfect postage stamp to go with it!) 

Welcome to a Winter Wonderland... October's 12 Tags of 2013 Viva Las VegaStamps! Style!!!

Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps! Susan here today to with my take on T!m Holtz' October installment of the 12 tags of 2013. I had to break the Halloween habit... and finally move on to the winter holidays. And since I am creating a winter version of this tag... I also am adding a splattering technique to give the effect of snow falling for the Craft Stamper Take It, Make It Challenge #5.

On a 4" x 6 1/2" section of off white cardstock, I created the marbelized background using Ranger Distress Paints (colors Weathered Wood, Crushed Olive, Dusty Concord and Antique Linen). I applied a second layer of just Weathered Wood and Antique Linen to tone down the bright colors.

I heat set to dry completely. Using an ink blending tool I applied Broken China, Weathered Wood and Iced Spruce Distress Inks around the edges. I completed the background by splattering with a brush Picket Fence Distress Stain.

I needed a frame for this month's tag technique and I don't have one for this purpose... BUT... I do have a lacy oval frame stamp (Doily #18849) that would be perfect. I could use Ranger Embossing Ink and a glue heat embossable powder to add the Distress Glitter... NAH! I want MORE DIMENSION. So I'm got out my Amazing Mold Putty and made a border mold of my stamp.

**WARNING** You need to thoroughly cover your stamp with petroleum jelly to protect your stamp - the rubber of the stamps and Amazing Mold Putty touching are reactive with each other. Watch closely and limit the time of stamp in contact with mold putty and remove it as soon as curing is completed.

As you can see here with stamp removed from mold. Some of the Amazing Mold Putty has stuck to stamp, which I cleaned off with soap and water immediately so the detail of my stamp is not clogged up and to stop any reaction the two compounds may have.

Now with a mold of my decorative border stamp - I filled it with Creative Paperclay® and let it cure. When paperclay is dried I inked and covered with Ranger Embossing Ink and heat embossable glue powder; then dredged in Antique Linen Distress Glitter. I went back with Vintage Photo and Broken China Distress Inks to add some depth and color to the edges.

I stamped several stamps (see list below) creating a collage scene using Weathered Wood Distress Ink and also Stone Grey Staz-On Ink. I really love how the Distress Ink just fades into the painted background giving subtle depth. I stamped snowflakes (see list below) with the embossing ink and applied the heat embossable glue powder; then applied a blue iridescent glitter to give the snowflakes shimmer.

Welcome to a Winter Wonderland...

The finishing touch was a Tattered Angels vintage icicle chipboard embellished with Distress Inks and a combination of blue iridescent and Antique Linen Distress Glitter. I accented Santa Collage #18933 with a little color using water brush and Ranger Distress Markers. Because of warping and to give the tag some stability to support the frame and icicles, I mounted the tag to chipboard with a section of Miracle Sheet cut to size and I embedded a sheer organza ribbon to act as a hanger from the top.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Viva Las VegaStamps used: Small Snowflake #18945; Medium Snowflake #18947; Large Snowflake #18946; Jingle Bells 10686; Early in Morning Swahili Script #1692; Christmas Trees Large #18942; Christmas Trees Small #18941; Santa Collage #18933; and Doily #18849 (oval lace border used to create mold). Supplies used: Cardstock; Stone Grey Staz-On Ink; various Ranger Distress inks and Picket Fence Distress Stain; Ranger Embossing Ink; various Ranger Distress Paints; Miracle Tape, Diamond Glaze Dimensional adhesive; Creative Paperclay®; Amazing Mold Putty; Antique Linen Distress Glitter; Iridescent Blue Glitter; Ranger Distress Markers; and Heat Embossable Glue Powder.

Thanks so much for dropping by. Have you entered the monthly challenge - you have two (2) days left to make a creation using the inspiration and your stash of VLVS! stamps... you could win more RUBBER! CLICK HERE for challenge details. Also, you definitely want to subscribe to the blog feed and to the Viva Las VegaStamps! newsletter to be IN THE KNOW of everything going on at the Viva Las Vegastamps! store. 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

The Winning Costume Gets the PRIZE... and a CORN-u-Copia of Halloween Goodness!!!

Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps! Susan here today to bring you some Halloween Treats and inky goodness. I set out to make a fun treat holder with handmade fringe, distress stained acetate, and a handmade acetate prize ribbon... with my Miracle Tape, assembly is quick and easy! Acetate is always fun to work with and it's the current challenge at Craft Stamper's Take It Make It Challenge.

Also - I've made my own crepe paper fringe with Miracle Tape! It's super easy and adds just the right amount of seasonal color and festive texture. First I layered an orange section of crepe paper {about 3 feet long}; then ran a stripe of 1/4" Miracle Tape down the center for the entire length. Then I repeated with black; then tape and repeated 4 more times alternating colors until I had six layers.

   

I added a stripe of Miracle Tape to the back of the first layer; then pressed everything flat to get good adhesion in the layers and folded the whole thing in half. The final stem is trimming small cuts at about 1/4" intervals to make the fringe.

I waited until after I adhered it to my piece to fluff it out.

Now for painting the acetate. I spread some Peeled Paint and Seedless Grape Ranger Distress Stains onto a craft sheet and rolled over with my brayer. This will make a nice drippy background.

I dragged the acetate through the puddles of distress stain, rolled a little with my brayer and repeated until I got the effect I desired. This particular acetate I'm using takes ink very well because it is recycled film from my imagesetter at work {please test inks on your inkjet or overhead projector acetate before trying with your final project}. I let it sit and dry for about a 1/2 an hour and while I waited, I mopped up the rest of this inky goodness with some blank tags and cardstock for use later. Before forming my cone, I stamped the creepy tree with Staz-On Black ink and accented the eerie eyes in the bat, pumpkin and stump with Sakura of America Souffle® 3-D Opaque yellow pen to make them glow.

  

I added strips of Miracle Tape to the length along the bottom edge and also along the short edge where the seam will meet. I formed it into a cylinder shape, exposed the tape and sealed my tube. This is a good time to secure with a couple staples for good measure.

Now a bit about the ribbon rosette... if you are going to attempt this in acetate - you need a hot glue gun and several hands {though I managed to do it with just two}. I reserved a section of stained acetate that was mainly purple and cut three strips using my Fiskars deckle edge scissors. I stamped the winner stamp on a scrap of green/purple stained cardstock and punched out with a tag punch. I gave it a shimmery touch with my Sakura of America Gelly Roll® Stardust® Glitter Pen. The Stardust is my most used of all pens - it's sheer and gives a twinkle to everything. 

Two of the strips I accented with ribbon for the tails. The third section I scored at 1/4" intervals on my Scor-Pal® and accordion folded. Now for the tricky part. Form the accordion into a loop and secure the ends together with Miracle Tape, then lay it flat and form it into a circle. I had another punched tag ready with Miracle Tape to secure the back, but it popped off as soon as I let go. So I put loads of hot glue in the center and sandwiched the top stamped tag on top to hold it tight. I put a glass on top to keep it flat until the glue completely cooled {about 10 minutes}. When cooled I added a small dab to hold the tails on and it's all complete.

I added the fringe and fluffed it pretty; punched holes and laced some coordinating ribbon and filled my cone with candy corn - topped off with some green and purple paper fringe that makes the Prize Ribbon "POP".

This prize is ready to be awarded... or I've earned my sweet reward - LOL!

•••••••••••

Supplies used: STAMPS - "Costume Contest Winner" #19211 and "Halloween Tree Silhouette" #19205. Other supplies: white cardstock; Staz-On Black ink; Miracle Tape; Sakura of America Gelly Roll® Stardust® Glitter Pens; Sakura of America Souffle® 3-D Opaque Pens; Ranger Distress Stains - Peeled Paint and Seedless Grape; Scor-Pal®; hot glue gun; Fiskars deckle edge scissors; recycled acetate; decorative paper shred, candy corn; and ribbon.

•••••••••••

Thanks so much for dropping by. I invite you to play along with the monthly challenge - there's still a week left - make a creation using the inspiration and your stash of VLVS! stamps... you could win! CLICK HERE for challenge details. Also, did you receive the latest Viva Las VegaStamps! newsletter??? If not - you may have missed the FIVE NEW PLATES on pre-order for 20% off. Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to be IN THE KNOW of everything going on at the Viva Las Vegastamps!. 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

Steampunk Balloon in Houndstooth

Close-up

 

Supplies:

VLVS! Stamp-Steampunk Balloon Ship

Paper Towel used to blot up Tim Holtz Distress Stains

Pilot FriXion Color-Pencil-Like Erasable Gel Ink Pens-Orange, Cherry Pink, Yellow Ochre,  Tea Brown, 

White Gel pen

Miracle Tape

May Arts Ribbon-Woven Houndstooth 

Tag-Black

Decoupage medium

Water mister

A while back I won this marvelous houndstooth ribbon from May Arts.  I knew I wanted to use it as a background, but it took me a while to figure out how.  It shouldn't have taken so long.  The technique is easy-peasy and I've used it before.  Sometimes, these things just don't click until suddenly they do, lol!

I keep the paper towels that I use to blot or clean up any paint, dye or ink.  I misted one I'd used to blot up some Tim Holtz Distress Stains to blend the colors a little more. Paper towels usually have layers, so I separated the top layer and put the second layer aside for another project.

I stamped my Steampunk Balloon Ship onto the paper towel, flipped it over and added Miracle Tape to the back.  After cutting the ribbon into three pieces that fit the section of the tag to be covered, I used more Miracle tape to adhere it to the tag.  Then I adhered the stamped paper towel over the ribbon.  The ribbon has a nylon edge.  I fit the paper towel inside those edges and I trimmed off some for the top and bottom so it framed the image.

Very carefully, so as not to tear,  I colored the image with the gel pens.  I didn't try to get very dark color because the paper towel was too fragile.

Then I covered the entire front of the tag with soft gel medium (any decoupage medium would do).  This not only protected the paper towel from future tearing, it made it semi-transparent so the houndstooth design shows through.  The black tag became glossy, resembling black metal.  

To finish off, I took the longer piece of ribbon and tied a bow at the top. 

And remember that second layer of paper towel?

I adhered it to a Kraft cardstock tag and stamped it.  I haven't decided what I'll do with it yet, though I think it will end up as part of a journaling spread.

VLVS! Stamp-Worn Clockface

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Wind Up Your Stamping for a Very Hoppy Steampunk Surprise!

Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps! - it's finally FRIDAY and Easter is almost here! Susan here today bringing you some Springtime Steampunk inspiration. I participate in fellow DT member LeslieRahye's bloghops and this month's installment was in celebration of Spring. I always plan to play along with the 12 tags monthly challenge by T!m Holtz and this month I actually have... in total VIVA LAS VEGASTAMPS! Style!!!

I have to say that I had so much fun making this and I only used ONE die - a spellbinders frame to contain my bunny silhouette. The rest of my tag is totally handmade - including handstamped paper, fussy cut elements and a little greencrafting, too! 

   

**TIP FOR THE DAY** Don't be afraid use your stamps in interesting and unconventional ways. The reverse silhouette is a popular trend right now and I'm seeing it everywhere. Today I have created this great technique by stamping on the back of my die cut frame and with a craft knife fussy cutting out the steampunk rabbit. I just love this creepy cool mechanical rabbit.

My grass is hand-cut also - quick and easy large freehand zig-zag using my craft knife. I'm happy to report that this insanely perfectionist measurer did not use a ruler to make uber-straight cuts {imagine that}; and all digits are accounted for!

I distressed and aged a tag cut out of Easter colored double-sided cardstock by My Minds Eye ans stamped several gears and steampunkery items in Stuart Superior Brown Memories Dye Ink. In the same ink, I also combined individual letter stamps to spell out "hoppy" and combined with the word "steampunk", stamped in a row on a cream cardstock, then trimmed and folded to create a quick and easy banner heading. I added a coordinating circle from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Hole Reinforcers to the front and back {best $1 ever spent this year}.

Strips of green tinsel are adhered to the frame back using, yep you guessed it! Miracle Tape made this process quick and easy, too! I finished off the back with some 3D foam tape, tied bow around and mounted to the tag base.

Another little discovery... get quick faux wrinkled ribbon by using recycled ribbon bow from a plant. I have a potted plant basket in my kitchen that had a pretty yellow bow on a pick in it. In grabbing my acrylic blocks on my kitchen table, I spotted this ribbon and grabbed it for this tag - it was the perfect match for my spring tag. I gently untwisted the wire around the ribbon bow and CRUMPLED it up. Being that this ribbon is the same as the ribbon used for gift wrapping, it it perfect for distressing. The wrinkling along with a swipe of vintage photo distress stain to age it a little, works perfectly.

The finishing touch are my gear flowers and colorful button eggs. The stems for my flowers are recycled thin strips of metal that the guys at work trim off the metal printing plates that I quilled into leaves and stems. The metal has a lovely teal coating on one side and the backside is silver. I have a whole little bin of these metal strips coiled for creative re-purposing. "HOPPY STEAMPUNK!!!"

•••••••••••

Supplies used: STAMPS - Steampunk Rabbit #16032, and Small alphabet from December Daily Plate 1430, Steampunk Outline #16005, Compass #16019, Watch Parts #16007, Gear Duo/ Small and Large #16025,  Gauges #16028, Gears Rotating #16031, and Watch Movement #18457. Also used: my DIY mix of gesso/acrylic/glazing medium; sandpaper; My Minds Eye Kaleidoscope double-sided patterned paper, Tim Holtz Kraft-Core Nostalgic Paper Pack - used Green and White; Miracle Tape; Diamond Glaze, 3-D foam mounting tape; Spellbinders Nestabilities® Labels 4 Die Set; Stuart Superior Memories Dye Ink in Brown; Ranger Vintage Photo and Antique Linen Distress Stains; Ranger Adirondack® Acrylic Paint Dabber in Snow Cap; Tim Holtz Idea-ology Hole Reinforcers; and Clearsnap Creamy Brown Chalk ink.

A REMINDER... there are six new plates on pre-sale for 20% off for a very limited time...the plates should be in any day now. So many great new images -AND- a "WHO-vian" plate with a re-issue of my blue police box stamp... just in time for the return of Dr. Who at the end of the month! Drop by the Viva Las Vegastamps! store to get the new releases and browse the VLVS! rubber vault.

Thanks so much for dropping by. Have you seen what the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team has been creating? 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...and I'm starting off April on an adventure of my own - a trip to the WORLD FAMOUS Viva Las Vegastamps! Have an inky day - and a fabulous weekend! Sb