Swim Fast

Morning, Nikki here with a couple of cards I made, featuring one of the original stamps I bought from Viva Las VegaStamps! a number of years ago.... Diver from Board : 

Isn't the diver great. I stamped him in memento black ink and colored him with copics and fussy cut him. I added some white gel pen highlights.

I wanted to create a splashy watery background for him, and this is how I accomplished that :

I used water color powders, sprinkling them onto my water color card stock : 

Then I spritzed it with water :

and used a straw to blow the water around. 

I love the richness and unpredictable effect you get, a perfect backdrop for my diver.

The words are typed on my typewriter. The card front is matted onto a blue card base.

I made two similar cards, although adapted one image so he's wearing a swim cap : 

Such a vast range of images in the Viva Las VegaStamps store, I really like this one, Diver from Board, 3879.

Perfect hair...

Hello everyone,

and welcome to the blog where today I will try and give you some inspiration for the August Challenge.

I have made an art journal page and here it is:

I started with a piece of Mixed Media Paper on which I stamped the lady. I did wipe off most of her original hair before stamping her. I then painted the page around her with white gesso. 

Next I took some acrylic paints in the colours teal, pink and lime green and painted some new hair on her.. This was great fun...no wonder she looks so surprised...lol..  I added some white here and there too. When this had dried I took a black pen and drew around the hair. 

The sentiment says: Sure, my life isn't perfect, but my hair is. I scribbled this around her with the same pen. Next I took the same paints and added some around the page, making sure the space around her stayed mostly white so she would stand out more. 

It was then time to do some stamping and of course I used my favourite background stamps. 

(You'll find a complete list of all the stamps I used at the bottom of this post.)

I also used a polkadot stencil and again the same paints. 

Here is the inspiration photo this is based on:

The words to go with this : 

bold, bright, intuitive, strong, women, feminine, artist, artsy, splatter, script, polka dots, color blocks, numbers, alphas, teal, lime green, white, black, stencils and more.

I used the following stamps:

19659 - Numbers set

19568 - Double coffee rings

19567 - Writing circles background

19571- Writing triangles

19575 - Stitching

18566 - Lady with hands on face

Thank you so much for stopping by today ! 

August Challenge

Welcome to our AUGUST Challenge!!!

We are inspiring you with words like bold, BRIGHT, intuitive, strong, women, feminine, ARTIST, artsy, splatter, script, polka dots, color blocks, numbers, alphas, pink, teal, lime green, white, black, stencils and more.

Don't forget the rules:

-Create a new project based on our inspiration board (it has to be posted this month, but you can certainly link up to other challenges as well!)

-Use at least one (but certainly more if you want) Viva Las VegaStamps! rubber stamps

(We are now allowing competitors stamps to be on your work, but please make VLVS! the focus of the project, thank you.)

-Post it to your blog with a link back to us

-Upload to our linky using your direct blog post link (You may also upload via facebook, flickr or other gallery)

You could win a Project Spotlight post on our blog + some new rubber of course.

And visit us back here for inspiration!

An InLinkz Link-up

A Friend...

I am having SO much fun mixing the new designs with my old favorites!!  Michele here today and I am sharing a fun tag today.

I started out messing around with my gelli plate.  I finally watched a couple of videos and pulled it out to test.  I came up with a subtle background on my tag with a ghosted type feel using a large number stencil. I LOVE it!!

I used Writing Triangles, Doodle Frame,  Squiggly Star Collage, TweedleDee and TweedleDum, A Friend is a Forever Thing, Numbers Set.

Some coloring with Distress Markers and splatters with Distress Spray almost complete my tag.

Aren't the Tweedles so much FUN??!!!

I completed my corner by doodling in between stamped borders.

I tied a bit of ribbon on the top of the tag and that finished it off.

Until next time...get inky!

Mail Art Monday - FlipBook - by Jenn Engle (and GIVEAWAY!!!)

Hey everyone! For today's Mail Art Monday I made a Flip Book. A Flip Book is basically a little handmade book stuffed with goodies that you mail out to your friends.

A lot of work went into this little book. So rather than tell you how I made it, you can watch how I made it. The process video will be up at the end of this post.

Stamps Used:

Squiggly Star Collage

Doodle Circles

Doodle Flower Garden

Doodle Leaf

You are Beautiful

Tired of Trying to Cram

Doodle Frame

Now for the GIVEAWAY!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite kind of mail art is and you'll be entered to win this Flip Book! (Be sure to check out the video to see the goodies that went in here!) 
Giveaway will close at Midnight EST August 1st. 

For an extra entry: "Like" us over at our Facebook page. Leave a comment below saying you did this for another entry. https://www.facebook.com/vlvstamps/

Thanks for looking!

~Jenn

Reality

Hello everyone,

and welcome to the blog where today I am sharing an art journal page.

I have made a tutorial and invite you to get a drink, sit down and have a look...

As always I'll show you the finished product first:

And here's how:

I started off with a piece of white drawing paper. 

I tool out some paints and a brayer to give it some colour. I made sure to leave some white areas. 

I took out my mini round gelli plate to add some more detail. I used purple and white paint in this case. 

Make sure you don't use too much paint. Better too little than too much. 

I used this piece of cardboard to make a pattern on the plate before printing. 

This is how that looks. 

I did this three times. I thought that looked good ! 

Next I got my favourite background stamps out and started stamping with inks in similar colours to the paint I used. I did add a grey for more variation. 

That is the background done ! Love it !!! 

Next I stamped my main image and the sentiment I was going to use on a piece of white card stock. 

I also stamped the top half of him on the page. This way I can cut off the 'hair' from the separate stamped image and when I adhere it over the top the 'hair' is there again. 

I got out some UmWow studio Star Confetti and heat-embossed them with a light purple embossing powder. 

They go all shiny, lovely...

Next it was time to colour my man. I used Copic Markers... my favourite way of colouring as it is quick and easy.. 

And here he is in all his glory ! 

Here is the finished product again. Everything adhered. As a finishing touch I added some black pen around the sentiment. 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

I have used the following stamps:

19877 - Creepy striped creature

19884 - If this is reality

19567 - Writing circles background

19568 Double Coffee rings

19571 - Writing Triangles

19569 - Mesh texture

Thank you so much for stopping by today !

"Blame My Gypsy Soul" An Art Journal Spread by Fiona

Hello my lovely Viva Las Vegastamps friends. Fiona here with you today to share a little journal spread I created using the gorgeous rubber from VLVS.

Lots and lots of layers went into this one!

And then I decided I needed a little feature piece so I created this little boy from the "Striped Leggings" stamp, the "Crown" stamp and the "Horned Boy" stamp. I think together they make a very cool Elizabethan style boy!

Right down to the red tights!!

You can see some of the layers I created in this close up photo below.

I love just playing and creating freely on pages. No commitment to an art journal. If I like it I'll stick it in, if I don't I'll chop it up and use it on another art journal page!

Viva Las Vegastamps used:

Whimsical Horned Boy

Crown

Striped leggings

Clock Face

Freud Writing Background

Sawtooth Stitching Lines

Stitching Lines

Stitching

Doodle Frame

I hope you like my little creation. I'll see you all again very soon.

You are Beautiful

Nikki here today sharing a postcard I made featuring the beautiful Whimsical Ladies Face with Tears : 

Firstly I used a blue painted piece of card to make my background. I added red, yellow and white acrylic paint and a brayer and my fingers. Then I stamped her and clear embossed her. I used color pencils to make the face area lighter, and added color to her lips, white acrylic to the highlight in her eye : 

The scrap paper that I used to clean my brayer was then used to make the flowers, since obviously the colors are already the same : 

I used a die by Tim Holtz Alterations to cut the flowers, then I layers them and lightly sponged the edges in blue :

I added color co-ordinating brads and layered the flowers and glued them in place around the face : 

A close up of her face : 

Final step was to add some black and white splatters and the wording, which is embossed in white : 

Stamps used :

Whimsical Face with Tears 19773

You are Beautiful 19832

Hope you found some inspiration here :) Nikki x