Shrink.

Hello!  Mary here with a fun and wearable stamping project for you.

First, I grabbed my all time favorite stamp Butterfly Gossamer/Large, my StazOn ink pad and a sheet of clear shrink plastic.

After I stamped my image onto the rough side of the plastic, I then cut it out to and preheated my oven to 350 degrees.  

And if you plan to use this embellie as a charm, don't forget to punch your holes!!

I baked it for about 2 minutes, rough side up.  When done, it had shrunk to roughly one fourth of its original size.  I then  painted the back with a couple coats of acrylic paint.

After adding some chain and a closure, I was ready to rock my new necklace!

In fact, I loved my new accessory so much, I decided to make a few more in a variety of colors.  Maybe I'll share with a friend or two??  Or not.

I hope I've given you a little inspiration today.  Now, go grab your favorite stamp and get crafty!!

xx Mary

Freaky Little Clay Pendants

What a thrill to be asked to participate as a guest blogger on VLVS! 

When I received these gorgeous stamps in the mail I just started playing right away! 

I mean how could you not,right! 

As a mixed media artist I love incorporating all sorts of things into my work

but one of my favorite things to add  are words.

So when I first spotted these yummy word stamps I new right away I wanted to not only

incorporate them,but to also make something wearable.This is what I came up with.

This Stamp spoke to me right away....I suppose because I always consider myself a freak

well,...more like this kind of freak...heehee.

Come on....I know there are a lot of you fellow freaks out there!! 

I started with white oven baked clay and free formed a circle.I stamped the quote into the clay and then used an awl to create the holes.

Before baking I added some Primary Yellow Deco Art Fluid and then I baked it following the clay directions. 

Next,I added Patina Gliders paste and let it dry. 

Then I added some Antiquing Cream and removed the excess with a paper towel. 

I then sprinkled with some Magenta.

and lastly I coated in a layer of Polyurethane.(I also made some without the Polyurethane and I liked that look as well.If you decide to not coat it,then make sure you seal it with Modge Podge.

For some of my pieces I also made a fabric bed using scraps of trim and findings.Once my pieces were dry I hand stitched them on to the fabric beds. 

I added some jump rings and chain,and they were ready to wear! 

Hope you give these a try! The only issue...I didn't want to stop...ended up making about 10 of them! heehee! 

Later Freaks! 

Cat

Stamps used in this tutorial:

She Was a Freaky

She Was A Wildflower

Your Time As A Caterpillar 

 Cat Kerr is a Mixed Media Artist/Instructor. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and two kids. Her work has been featured in many national publications such as Somerset Studio,Belle Armoire Jewelry,Clothe Paper Scissors and many more. Her work has also been featured on three covers.

Cat currently teaches online and at national retreats around the country. To inquire about her work,online shops and teaching schedule,you can visit her at http://www.catkerr.com

Fan Feature!! (Mail Art & DIY Jewelry)

It's plain and simple.. we LOVE seeing our stamps in use. We love seeing them shared on our facebook page, instagrammed, tweeted and stumbling across them on pinterest.

We also LOVE sharing your works with our other fans! And that's just what we're doing today! If you want to be featured in a fan feature, be sure to tag us (#vivalasvegastamps, #vlvstamps) so we stumble across your project!

Today we're sharing one project by Tera:

I think I particularly love this Mail Art piece because of our current swap. It really just invokes so many ideas for mail art!! Give it a go :) Work up a standard sized postcard and pop it in the mail to someone you know. Tera used Explore, Triple Mast Sailing Ship, Carpe the hell, Dictionary page, Diver In Suit and Discover.

P.S. Tera is applying for our Design Team with this project -- did you know we have an open call? Check it out!

and we have one by Kristen:

  Kristen used our Blue Police Box to create these amazing earrings! Might be some inspiration for the upcoming issue of RSM!

GO AWAY!!! Unless You are Taking Stamping to a Whole New Dimension...

Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps! Susan here today with a twist on stamping. I love to stamp, but I am a total addict of molding and shaping things using Amazing Crafting Products. Today's project welcomes you to the wide world of dimension and a new kitschy jewelry piece using the "Unwelcome Mat Large #14973" image from Viva Las VegaStamps!

I have had this Unwelcome Mat stamp for quite some time and I did attempt to make a pendant with shrink plastic... but it came out very dark after the shrinking process. So that was a fail. With my molding adventures with last month's T!m Tags, a lightbulb went off and I thought, "what if I cast of mold of this stamp with the new Amazing Mold Rubber?"

 

I quickly and easily formed a mold box by wrapping and burnishing a couple layers scotch tape around the edge of the stamp to contain the liquid silicone poured on top. I prepared stamp by rubbing with vegetable oil to act as resist.

 

The detail of the Amazing Mold Rubber is so awesome and I couldn't wait to cast my new mold. I got out my Ranger Perfect Pearls, and with a dry brush applied the colors directly to the mold. I mixed up a small batch of Amazing Casting Resin {an opaque white 10 minute cure resin}, and poured into my mold. Like a kid on Christmas morning I couldn't wait to see the results...

A glorious and wonderfully colored FAIL!!! The type is backwards... YIKES!!!

So what's a girl to do??? Reverse the mold using Amazing Mold Putty {thanks DeeDee for the quick solution <3}. I will do this again using Amazing Mold Rubber {except due to the extended curing time and that I need to get more Amazing Mold Rubber... I opted to go with a quick 1/2 hour fix with the mold putty}. I mixed up a batch of Amazing Mold Putty and pressed into the silicone mold. Doing this makes the curing time take about twice as long, since the silicone cools the mold putty extending the curing process.

When fully cured I gently peeled the mold putty reverse from the silicone mold. It's not quite as detailed as the silicone Amazing Mold Rubber mold, but it's pretty good. I had to mix another batch of mold putty to add a border to hold the resin - yep the amazing mold putty sticks to itself so you can build all sorts of shaped molds... and make repairs and adjustments, too!

 

Now after a second curing of about 20 minutes... I'm back to coloring.  I again added various colors of Ranger Perfect Pearls applied with a dry paintbrush.

 

 I mixed up another small batch of Amazing Casting Resin and poured into this new mold.

Winner... Winner... Chicken Dinner!!! I wasn't going to rest until I resolved this issue. I drilled two small holes to hold wire wrapped gold loops and added lime green fun fur and satin ribbon to finish.

Welcoming a Kitschy Necklace...

Here's both versions side-by-side so that you can see the difference in detail between the two molding products. For extreme detail, the Amazing Mold Rubber wins hands down. I will finish the backwards version and wear out to survey how many people really get the joke. So I hope you are inspired to take your stamping to a new dimension...

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Viva Las VegaStamps used: Unwelcome Mat Large #14973. Supplies used: Amazing Mold Rubber,  Amazing Casting Resin, and Amazing Mold Putty by Amazing Crafting Products; Ranger Perfect Pearls; Gold 20 gauge wire; lime green satin ribbon and fun fur fiber; patience and a kwirky sense of humor.

Thanks so much for dropping by. Have you entered the monthly challenge? Make a creation using the the November 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. To follow Sandra, DeeDee and myself over at the Amazing Mold Putty Blog CLICK HERE. I'll be back soon with another stamping adventure!  Sb

Upcycling Packing Tape Spools and Celebrating Earth Day

Welcome to Viva Las VegaStamps! and Happy Earth Day! Today we are proudly participating in LeslieRahye's Second Annual EARTH DAY Bloghop. Susan here to bring you my regularly scheduled "INKY" inspiration - with a RECYCLING twist for Earth Day! What do you do with the cardboard core from clear packing tape??? Stamp, ink and alter them and turn them into a fashion statement of course!!!

I've made a CHIC artistic bangle out of a recycled cardboard packing tape spool that I have collaged with hand-stamped paper misted with an iridescent shimmer mist, then adhered and sealed using Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer. The feature of my bangle is a fortune that I saved from a fortune cookie and a couple other stamps to create a decorative texture.

I cut a section away from the tube and cut the edges rounded.
I sanded the edges with an emery board.

On a strip of scrap patterned paper, I stamped I used Viva Las Vegastamps! patent stamp #1687 with waterproof royal blue ink.

I misted paper lightly with water to moisten.

Gently crumple the paper to break up fibers to that it is not so stiff - AND - it will give a nice suede texture.

I also misted with some bronze and also an iridescent mist to add extra shimmer and to bring out detail of distressed paper. I set aside to dry. 

I painted base layer of antique gold acrylic paint to the bangle.

Completed painted cardboard bangle - which looks lovely just like this! But this is just a starting off point...I want to make it more "ME". So I'm going to make it all painted and inky, too! 

Now I adhere the stamped and painted paper I prepared in the beginning. I cut lines into the paper around the rounded sides to get a smooth wrap-around. I mounted my fortune to a rectangle of chipboard and adhered to bangle with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer. 

I finished off by painting entire bangle in a nice coat of Crystal Lacquer and stamped punched and mounted a couple of accent detail stamps; "Leaf Background #4366" and "Tribal Mask #15962". 

My "Art-cycled" CHIC Bangle

My bangle is all artsy and recycled! It looks lovely...and is the perfect home for my GOOD FORTUNE "You feed your body every day. You must also feed your mind".

Thanks so much for dropping by. HAVE YOU HEARD??? Receive FREE SHIPPING now on your order at the Viva Las Vegastamps! store by using the coupon code "FREESHIPPING". If you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE.

Please scroll down to click on the squares below to continue to all the fantastic artists on the hop...and remember, please Think GREEN! Sb

 

Guest Designer Sandy

Today I welcome back Guest Designer Sandy!! 

Sandy has brought us a wonderful gift set, a necklace and coordinating gift box!!

She used the Fly and Einstein's Tongue from plate827 as well as Time Flies and the Wasp from plate893

Sandy says "For project #2, I used the same stamp plates as I did in project #1, but used Albert Einstein from Plate #827 to create a domino necklace in an Xmas theme and "Time flies" and flies from Plate #893 as the stamps on the accompanying pyramid gift box.  Al was stamped on a domino that had been soaked in bleach, dried and then stamped using Ranger Ink's Archival Ink in black.  Image was then dried with a heat tool to set the ink before coloring.  Red tongue and edge of domino was colored with a red permanent Sharpie marker.  A Tim Holtz eye screw was attached to the domino to thread the ball and chain also from Tim Holtz's Idea-ology parts and a little holly berry cluster was glued to Al's forehead using Ranger's "Glossy Accents" dimensional adhesive.  The pyramid box was cut from black card stock using Stampington's "Pyramid Box" template - for template and instructions, go to www.Stampington.com, scroll down to the bottom of the home page, click on "Project How-to's", next click on "Tempting Templates, and last click on "Pyramid Box."  I added four additional triangle pieces cut from green cardstock and stamped sayings and flies using Staz-On's Jet Black solvent ink to complete my gift set.  Very merry, I think"

Thanks so much for being our guest designer Sandy! We had a lot of fun seeing your projects this month♥