Travel log.....2012.

We boldly go where no man.........

awwww heck.....

we go where most people have already visited many times before us,

but we have fun exploring anyway. 

This is my introduction to my new travel journal.  One of the perks of being a Design Team member of Viva Las Vegastamps!!!!

These are the stamps and supplies that I used to create the cover:

Sky diving Pig #4582 

Bone #16839

Mountain range #6926

Astonished frog #7225

Treasure chest #6164

Goatee head #2278

Wavy ribbon for the water waves

DSP behind the cover

Cardboard for the sand

shell, shovel and bucket stickers
Crab and star fish paper punches
stick-on gems and pearls
hand-cut clouds

You can win this unadorned beauty (pictured below) 
to create yourself a journal of your liking.

Just comment on the VLVS blog HERE

Viva Las Vegastamps! and Clairefontaine are hosting a contest this month--comment on all the Clairefontaine posts throughout the month to get a chance at a free journal and a $15 coupon to the VLVS! online store! Great prize!! Good luck!! Remember, you can't win if you don't enter!!!

If you can't make a trek to the actual store (which is on my bucket list) then you can 

travel on over via the website and check it out. 

Just click you heels 3 times while saying "I LUV RUBBAH" and 

then click on this link. 

Until later, travelers.......Gotta split........ TFL!!!!

yo ho ho and some art journaling too

Today I get to share with you the project I've completed using these gorgeous Clairefontaine journals. Throughout the month of August, twice a week, the VLVS! Design Team is featuring their
sketch journals. You can see their entire line of product here. You can check up on all things journal related at the Rhodia Drive blog and also on their Facebook page.









Even before Jack Sparrow walked the plank on the big screen, my family was fascinated with all things pirate thanks to our Medieval adventures at Renaissance Fairs. My child has been a pirate more than once for fairs, Halloween and costume parties. It's fun to play pirate and to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day in September--ARRRG! For this post I have refrained from posting in Pirate--yes, I know we are all thankful of that--but I'm super excited to have these awesome pirate stamps to play with on my beautiful art journal from Clairefontaine.

The process.

I began by turning the journal on its edge [spiral up] so that any mists and sprays I did would run down the page. I misted with a combination of water, Maya Mist in Mica Pearl and a homemade mist  from a Distress Reinker and Perfect Pearls with water. I did layers drying with my heat tool in between to get the look I wanted--the Mica Pearl being added last.

The Clairefontaine Journals have 83lb drawing paper in them which holds the mists and medium extremely well with relatively little buckle in the paper!

Next I stamped all of my images onto book paper with Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black and painted the images with Twinkling H2Os--love that shimmer. I added the stamped pieces to the page with Crystal Lacquer and stamped my pirate  saying on the seawater by the pirate. Finally I added sea glass and sand to the page with Crystal Lacquer.   I love how my page turned out. I hope you enjoy it too!

For this page

Viva Las Vegastamps! and Clairefontaine are hosting a contest this month--comment on all the Clairefontaine posts throughout the month to get a chance at a free journal and a $15 coupon to the VLVS! online store! Great prize!! Good luck!! Remember, you can't win if you don't enter!!!

Thank you for looking! ~leslierahye

No Stamp is too BIG for ATC's!

What do you do when you love BIG stamps and ATC's...My answer is pick out the best parts that fit into a 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 size your on your way!

                                                        Original Design

All stamps from Vivalasvegastamps.com

Nesting Gears 18077                   Facial Features 14306                Flat Head Gear 17502


                                                                     ATC Cards

Cut from previous practice paper

I usually practice several times before I do my final stamping...Wah lah...

ATC cards.

These cards were stamped on vintage Music sheets with Momento tuxedo black Ink

and embossed with UTEE. 

Both available online from Viva las Vegastamps!

Taking a Bite out of Art Journaling in my Clairefontaine Journal!

Happy Monday - Welcome to Viva Las Vegastamps!!! Susan here with my top of the month post. Throughout the month of August, twice a week, the VLVS! Design Team is featuring sketch journals by Clairefontaine. You can see their products HERE.

You can check up on all things journal related at the Rhodia Drive blog: http://rhodiadrive.com/ and also on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rhodia-Drive/98458096197.

As part of this month long event...Viva Las Vegastamps! and Clairefontaine are hosting a contest this month--comment on all the Clairefontaine posts throughout the month to get a chance at a free journal and a $15 coupon to the VLVS! online store! Great prize!! Good luck!! Remember, you can't win if you don't enter!!!

I have made an Art Journal page in my Clairefontaine Journal - using Viva Las Vegastamps! and a technique using my little "happy accidental invention"...MIXERS MIST!

Today I am sharing some in-depth instruction as to how to make your own mists using Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer with Terri Sproul Mixers. I have been loving the bronze mist I made and am so excited to make more colors to play with.

This was my HAPPY ACCIDENT...Terri Sproul MIXERS MIST!!!!

My DISCOVERY: I took the contents of my water cup containing the glittery goodness leftover from washing my brushes while painting with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers and I poured this into an empty spray bottle. This is a lovely, sheer shimmery spray - very subtle on light paper. I now have a large spray bottle of this and I am using this mixture as a base to make a whole family of mixer mists!

 

To do this I have rummaged my house and reclaimed every spray bottle I can get my hands on. I have here an assortment of recycled travel size hair/body sprays, some Ranger Mini Misters, and some small mini sprayers from Sky Blue Pink.

**PLEASE NOTE** The wash water is directly from the cup. I'm not sure how much Crystal Lacquer is actually in it. But the bronze mixer - I made from scratch. I filled about 1/2 bottle with water {one of those 1 oz. travel size sprayers}, a few scoops on a toothpick of bronze & copper penny mixers and a squirt of CL. Not so much that it's sticky - just enough so the shimmer will stick to the paper you spray it on. The mini mister tubes don't hold very much liquid {maybe a dozen sprays or so}, this is why I started with the wash water mix as a base. There is nothing else in my wash water except for Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers.

Below are the tester papers I made for the colors I've mixed so far. I added a swatch of black paper to each so I could see how these worked on dark papers. The bronze, gold, silver and interference colors worked best on the black paper. An unexpected result: the colored mists really didn't show up at all - they just leave a white splatter. On white - all of the colors worked beautifully - even the interference violet. The scanner and photographs can't capture all the shimmer reflections - but I promise, the glittery goodness is there!

  

  

I labeled each card with the color combinations. I'm so excited to play with these!

With my MIXERS MISTS in hand - I got out my stamps, resist ink and black ink, some sea salt granules and punchinella to make a fun background in my art journal. I sprayed several colors on first layer then let dry and then heat set to make sure it was entirely dry.

This art journal page feature these VLVS stamps: Shark Head Large #4018, "Some Days I Feel Like..." #891 quote bubble, Sailboat Harbor #9863, Design/Tight Curlyques #9795, and Texture/Yarn Balls #9731. I love to use the stamps to build scenes, and use stamps to give detail or texture.

The lovely Clairefontaine Journal features an 83lb pH neutral, acid-free drawing paper with a smooth satin finish, solid hardboard covers and a flexible plexi protective front cover. I was so happy to have a shiny new book in which to art journal in and this book has a nice large spiral to allow my pages room to grow  with my chunky mixed media creations.

I stamped my images with black Memories Ink by Stuart Superior and masked areas I wanted to protect from colored mists. I also used Ranger Resist Ink pad to stamp texture with "Texture/Yarn Balls" to simulate splashed water.

I sprayed several layers and colors of my mixers mists. I also sprinkled sea salt granules around shark base and fins - this will repel color as it drys and give a nice bleach texture.

Detail of salt granules as misted colors dry.

Page when dry and salt granules and masks removed. I really love the variegation of the color mists. To add color and detail, I drew and colored on top with Ranger Distress Markers and the paper texture was perfect {no pilling or fiber breakdown}. I also took care in not over-wetting or rubbing the damp paper too much. I finished off by dry brushing water splash with ice blue acrylic paint and white gesso. I stamped along the bottom with the curlyques and hand drew in some waves with Black Soot Distress Marker.

I have to say the paper in the Clairefontaine Journal has a wonderful smooth texture and held up nicely to the misting with limited warping. I have made a couple other pages that applied several layers of colors using stencils and I was really impressed with the durability of the paper.

Thanks so much for dropping by today! Pop on over to the Viva Las Vegastamps! store - loads of new stamps have just been added - Halloween, Christmas and many more! Check your latest newsletter - there is a free shipping coupon code that is good through August 8th!

If you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. I'll be back with another stamping adventure on August 12th. Hope you have an inky day! Sb

Lady With Scarf on Moon Altered Ledger

I found this old unused old ledger on one of my treasure hunts one weekend going to estate sale after estate sale. Usually I tear pages out of books and use them in other projects this time I decided to keep this ledger.  My project today is to alter this old ledger! 

Here is a close up of the finished embellishment on the cover to the altered old ledger using the Rubber Stamp Lady with Scarf on Moon from VLVS!!

Supplies:

Rubber Stamp: Lady with Scarf on Moon from VLVS!

Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer

Terri Sproul Mixers

Tanzanite Pearl

Citrine Pearl

Gold

Pink Saphire Pearl

Garnet Pearl

Purple Pearl

Glitz Effects Gold

Creative Paperclay®

Old Ledger Book

Lace

Ribbon

Roll out the Creative Paperclay® very thin. There are two pieces of core board on each side of the rolling pin to keep the thickness even.  Place VLVS! Lady with Scarf on Moon face down on clay and roll over gently.

With a craft knife cut around the stamped image of the VLVS! Lady with Scarf on Moon. Set clay aside to dry. 

Once the clay is dry gently sand edges; use fine grade sand paper or an emery board. 

While the clay is drying adhere lace to the old ledger book with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixers - Gold and sprinkle Glitz Effects Gold while the lacquer is still wet.

Paint the VLVS! Lady with Scarf on Moon with Terri Sproul Mixers (Tanzanite Pearl, Citrine Pearl, Pink Sapphire Pearl, Garnet Pearl and Purple Pearl) and Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer. 

Add ribbons to the binding and 

now you have a "new" old ledger!

Pin it to Win - WINNER

We have a winner for Pin it to Win it!!

Karen Ladd - if you would please email me (deedee430@gmail.com) with which new plate you'd like and your mailing address I'll have that sent out to you RIGHT away!! 

You get to choose from plates..

1428

1429

1430

1431

1432

or

1433

Thank you everyone who played along!! Stay tuned next week for a new giveaway!

Woot! I've been published!

Oh sometime In June I sent 2 tags in To Vamp Stamp News for publication for their August issue on Metal. And right after I mailed them I saw that The June issue would be the last one printed. And the editor was only going to do e-articles once a month, I admit I was bummed. Vamp Stamp News has been around for a long long time. But since she was still going to be doing e-articles, I still had a good chance that my tags will make it in the article( I really love how the tags came out).

So Friday July 20th, I saw that the new article was out. I clicked on the link and looked through the article and there I saw my name and my tags! I'm kinda excited as this is the 1st time I've been published! There are my tags

So check out Vamp Stamp News, the e-article on Metals and Faux metal techniques to see how I did the tags.  I'm on page 46 and 47!

Stamps used: 

One eye monster

Whimsical Woman in Dress

We are not like others

I'm not Insane...

A day in a life of a cat

When I first learned I made it to the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design team, I started making a couple of cards, just to have on hand in case my mind went creatively blank. Luckily that hasn't happened. :) But I thought I show you the card I did.

I had some some photo paper that I had used alcohol inked backgrounds on. On white cardstock I stamped the 2 cats in black memento ink. colored the Crayon Kitty with prisma pencils.I then stamped the Excerpt from the diary of a cat on to the background but it smudge when stamping. after a panic moment, I stamped it on a piece of white cardstock. in black memento ink pad. All peices were attached the the background with Miracle tape. And attached to a black card base.

Items used:

Black cardstock

photo paper

alcohol ink

white cardstock

black memento ink pad

color pencils

Miracle tape

Stamps used:

Crayon Kitty

cat sprawl

Excerpt from the diary of a cat day 751