Viva Las VegaStamps!: let fear be

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Stay Cool | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone, happy new year!

I am so incredibly excited and blessed to have the opportunity to stay on the Viva Las VegaStamps design team for another year and share my love of VLVS rubber stamps with you!

To kick off the new year, I have a 12x12" mixed media scrapbook layout to share with you that features a photo of one of my twin boys that was taken only a couple of weeks ago. I created this page to document how in a very short time he has gone from being terrified of swimming to loving being in the pool.

Here is my layout...

To create my page, I began with a sheet of white Bazzill cardstock and some Ranger Distress Oxides in Mermaid Lagoon; Cracked Pistachio; Twisted Citron; and Faded Jeans. I used the "packaging technique" to apply the inks - swiping the ink onto some plastic packaging, then adding a spritz of water before "smooshing" it down onto the cardstock.

I started with the Mermaid Lagoon colour and then dried it off before repeating the process with the Cracked Pistachio and Twisted Citron. I love the layered watercolour style effect that it creates - perfect for my water themed page!

Next, I used the Faded Jeans Distress Oxide to add some splatters over the top. To do this, I swiped some ink onto my craft mat, then added water before soaking it up with my paint brush and splattering it over the top.

Then it was time to add some stamping! The first stamp I used was the Bubbles (Large Black), using Ranger Archival Ink in Paradise Teal. I added the bubbles in a vertical line down my page then added an extra group of bubbles where the left edge of my photo would sit. (This gave me the "visual triangle" I was looking for.)

Once I had the bubbles stamped out, I chose the Humpback Whale stamp for a bit of fun and to tie in with the water theme of my layout. I stamped the whale twice with the same teal ink, positioning it so that it was "swimming" through the focal area of the page and helping to draw the viewers eye in.

I also stamped the It's a whale of a tale... sentiment several times around the page, switching to black Staz On ink for that one.

With the majority of my background work done, it was time to switch to adding some papery layers and texture. I created a layered mat for my photo using an assortment of tissue paper, paper doilies, paint sample card, a tag, glitter cardstock, frayed gauze and coloured wire. I also added a few pieces of torn washi tape around the page.

Once the layers were in place I added some scrap cardboard to the back of my photo before mounting it on top. I also added a handmade heart embellishment from Charms Creations, and a flair button from Cocoa Vanilla Studio.

Then it was time to finish my page off. I added my handwritten journalling using a felt pen, then stamped the Let Fear Be quote underneath it using black ink.

I also used my favourite Doodle Dots stamp to add further depth to the background. (How could you not love how this stamp looks?)

The finishing touch was a few blue and green sequins from Cocoa Vanilla Studio scattered around the page.

Here's a closer look at some of the finished details...

(I am so in love with that background, and glad that I finally treated myself to some Distress Oxides for Christmas!)

You can see where I used my Tim Holtz tiny attacher to fix the wire to my page. I love the extra texture the metal staples add.

That's all from me today, I hope I have inspired you to get your stamps out and create something too. Until next time, get inky! X

Stamps used:

- Bubbles (Large Black)

- Humpback Whale

- It's a whale of a tale...

- Let Fear Be

- Doodle Dots

Other materials:

- Miracle tape

- Bazzill cardstock

- Ranger Distress Oxides

- Ranger Archival Ink

- Tsukineko StazOn Ink

- Cocoa Vanilla Studio flair button and sequins

- Charms Creations handmade heart

- Assorted collage materials (as detailed in post above)

- Felt pens

- Staples

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Travelers Notebook Pages | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone!

Sue Plumb here to share my latest design team project with you. Here in Australia, my children have just finished their winter school holidays; and as much as I loved spending extra time with them, it did make it more difficult to find time to create than usual. It also meant that every time I did create, my mini crafters were right there sharing my space. The solution was to work on a smaller scale, so I switched to working in a travelers notebook.

The beauty of working in the notebook meant I was able to create these pages with far less supplies than I would usually use for a traditional scrapbook layout. (It's also a great way to use up some of those phone photos that aren't the best quality, as they are printed in a smaller size.)

Here are a couple of pages I created documenting some daily moments...

The process for creating the pages was simple. I started by deciding where my photos were going to be placed and then just sat them on the page without sticking them down. I then tore some pieces of washi tape and added them to the page to provide some structure to work from, and also a splash of colour. Next, I chose a stamp as my focal image that supported the theme of my photos and began constructing the page.

For the bike riding page I chose the Whimsical Wheeley Dog as my main stamped image, and She Spread Her Wings as the title. I added the Let Fear Be quote at the bottom of the page; and the I Do All My Own Stunts quote at the top of the page; then used the Row of Chevrons stamp to draw attention to the title and main photo.

I used Miracle Tape to fix my photos my photos in place before adding my handwritten journalling with a felt pen. Watercolour pencils were used to add colour to the page, which were blended out with a water brush. To finish off, I used the Doodle Dots stamp and green ink to add some extra interest, and tie in further with the green spotted washi tape I had used. I also stamped the date.

For my second page, which was about our outing to see "Hotel Transylvania" at the movies, I followed the same process as for the previous page - first deciding where my photos would go, then adding the washi tape before moving onto the stamps.

To tie in with one of the characters from the movie, I chose the Mummy stamp as my main focal image. I also stamped the Freaks stamp several times for the title of my page. I then looked for other stamps that supported my theme, choosing the Blood Dripping and Escape stamps to use in the top part of my page. To draw attention to the main focal image, I used the Row of Chevrons stamp.

For the bottom portion of my page, which was about our trip to McDonalds after the movie, I used the Oh My! and Biohazard stamps. (Not sure McDonalds would appreciate the humour in that one! haha)

I then followed the same process to finish as for the previous page - fixing my photos in place with Miracle Tape; adding my journalling; using watercolour pencils to add colour; then stamping the date and adding extra interest with the Doodle Dots stamp.

Thanks for stopping by today so I could share this with you.

Have you tried working in a travelers notebook before? If not, I would highly recommend giving it a go! There are no limits to what you can create - you can use it for documenting memories like I have here; for making lists; or even like a mini art journal. The scale is perfect for stamping, and I know they will be fun to look back through in future.

I hope I have inspired you to get inky too!