Celebrate it's Mail Art Monday! Video Tutorial

Hello Again! 

(and Happy Labor Day to those of you in the USA) 

It's me Tera, here again with another fun piece of mail art to share with you! 

For the step by step make sure you watch the short video 

(and please let me know if you like this new video format or if you prefer the older method of me talking and showing everything even though they are longer)

Stamps Used: 

Banksy Girl Floating With Balloons 1 1/2 x 3 1/2

Row of Chevrons 3/4 x 3 1/4

Until Further Notice 1 x 2 3/4

Doodle Frame 1 x 4

Writing Circles Background 1 3/4 x 4 1/2

Dictionary Page 4 x 2 1/2

Waybill/Invoice Background 4 1/4 x 5 1/4

Thank you for visiting!! 

Stay inky and have a great week! 

Time to Celebrate- Mail Art Monday

Hello Again!!!

Welcome back for another fun Mail Art Monday project!!!

This one is super special to me. 

This was created in honor of my friends and I finally graduating dental hygiene school!

Yes, that's right... I'm officially a Registered Dental Hygienist!!! 

SO... Let's ... CELEBRATE!!!!

To start I began by stamping the creepy cone hat and creepy bald guy, and masking them off.  I also stamped the writing triangles and masked them off too.  At this time you should also mask of your desired address space (and trace around it).  

Now time to add the fun stuff...

Stamp the doodle frame first across the top, then the chevron banner below it... 

(because why have 1 banner when you can have 2 !?! ) 

Stamp Celebrate above the address box

Are you still hanging in there? 

Good! 

Time to pull this all together... I used Distress ink in blues, greens, and yellows to base ink the background... then to detail the background I randomly stamped the doodle dots and numbers set.

Now stamp the dictionary page around the edges to help pull focus to the center.   

Now, Lets see how things look without the masks.

(this is always one of my favorite parts!) 

Ok, now we are in the final stages!! 

Stamp the stitching on the address label and color everything in. 

(I used watercolor brush pens to color mine)

Then, to finish everything off I used black pan pastels to edge everything and make them pop!

Thanks for sticking in with me, I know this was a long one. 

I hope you enjoyed this piece as much as me!! 

Stamps Used:

Creepy Cone Hat

Creepy Bald Guy

Writing Triangles

Doodle Frame

Chevron Banner 

Doodle Dots

Numbers Set

Dictionary Page

Celebrate

Stitching

Blast From The Past

Hi guys, It's Tera again here to share my fun blast the past stamp project with you! 

This was such a fun challenge for me! and I hope it will inspire you!! I love that this stamp can be used in so many situations, from birthday cards, to girls night out, dog lovers, and just about anything! 

For my project I thought I would do a piece on celebrate who you are and your own style!

Stamp used:

Shoe Dalmatian Dog 3 x 2 1/4

Start by inking your stamp in black ink, then carefully wipe the ink off of the shoes/spots that you would like to be a different color and stamp on card stock. Next clean off your stamp and color the shoes in with brick red distress marker and carefully line the stamp up over your already stamped image... 

(it doesn't have to be perfect :-D ... if you would rather you could also mask the area off)

Next if you are like me and need to touch up your edging from wiping the ink off just fix it with a black marker 

 Next ink your desired embossing folder (or stencil) in your desired ink color. I used Brick red again then spritz the distress ink on the embossing folder with water. Carefully set the tag on the embossing folder and brayer it or gently rub it to be sure the whole tag touches to pick up enough color

this is something similar to what you should see after lifting straight up (I heat dried mine, but you can wait on it to dry naturally if you are more patient than me!)

Now comes the fin part sponging on ink!! I used Wild honey and Fired Brick on a make-up sponge

 I made two so i could have options to which I liked best when finished and because it is so fun!

this is when you want to measure out a piece of cardstock about an 1/8 inch bigger to really make your colors pop.. it also fits and looks awesome as a card front for an A2 card!!! (set this piece to the side)

Next Create your desired quote with a Dymo maker if you have one

(or if not another stamp even!! goodness knows I love stamped quotes!!! hehe)

 Next take your two ink pads and stamp them on your craft mat. spritz the ink with water again then rub your seam binding ribbon (or any that you have) around in the colors until you get the look you want adding more ink as you go. I also crinkle mine and heat dry it 

make a pretty bow for the top of your tag and tie it on 

 next lay your pieces out and decide where you want your stamp to go. Stamp it in black ink then color it in solid black This helps add a nice finished look behind your image and a hint of a shadow

 

At this stage you are almost done!! add your pop dots, and staple down your quote! If you are pleased with the look attach your back with Miracle Tape and Enjoy!!!!

(here you can also see the nice shadow added by coloring the back black)

I Hope you enjoyed this tag inspiration!! I had so much fun making this piece and I know that I will have to use this Awesome stamp for some more super fun projects!!

A stamp for all occasions

 Happy Thursday! Leslie-Rahye joining you today for some stamping goodness! One of the reasons Viva Las Vegastamps! is my favorite stamp store is because of the tremendous selection of stamps!! There are over 19,000 different images and sayings! I personally LOVE to celebrate...and not just the big celebrations--birthdays, anniversaries, holidays such as Christmas, Chanukkah, Halloween, Easter, Valentines...well you get the picture. I also LOVE to celebrate the "little" things too! Did you know September is National Sewing Month?? Did you know that the 19th of September was International Talk Like a Pirate Day--well, ok, if you know me then yes, you probably DID know that one. How about this one--September 22nd is Elephant Appreciation Day [I have always wanted a pet elephant!]. Or that the Safety Pin was invented on September 30th! You can find all of these and TONS more on websites all about celebrating special days. SO with all of these stamps to choose from, you can make projects for EVERY ocassion--literally! Today I share with you some of my "seasonal:" ATCs and a tile magnet! I hope you enjoy my projects!

The Method

For these projects you will need:

Eco Art Board in the ATC size and in the 2×2" tile

Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap Distress Inks
Black Paris Trunk Ink
PrismaColor pencils
Tombow Glue, Beacon Fabri-tac
strong magnet

Each piece was created in the same manner. I swiped the Antique Linen Distress Ink over the surface of the Eco Art Board. I next stamped my background image with Frayed Burlap and inked the edges of the board to add emphasis to the edges. The focus image was stamped onto the Eco Art Board in black. The black image was highlighted with PrismaColor pencils.

For the Artist Trading Cards, I swiped and patted the Antique Linen Ink onto some Kromecote and set it with my heat tool. Next with black ink I stamped my sayings--again setting the ink with the heat tool. The sentiments were cut out and in some cases cut apart. The edges were inked with the Frayed Burlap and the pieces were adhered with the Tombow glue.

For the 2×2" tile I stamped on the layers of images--first the swirl and then the safety pins in Black. once the ink had dried, I applied a thin coat of Crystal Lacquer to the tile. Once dry I added a strong magnet to the back using Beacon Fabri-tac
Now thanks to the selection and availability of Viva Las Vegastamps! I can make little pieces of art to trade with my friends for any occasion and fun gifts to commemorate special events! Thank you VLVS!
~leslierahye

Remember there are only 2 more days left to enter your application for the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team!

AND Have you pinned your favorite new plate that is being released?!?! Read all about how to enter to win one of these fabulous new plates of stamps!!!

HAPPY LEAP DAY!!! Spending it playing with Viva Las Vegastamps!

Hi everybody! It's Susan bringing you my end of the month post. I am so excited for getting today as  my project day because it's LEAP DAY!!! So of course, I had to create something extra special for the occasion...complete with lots of leaping frogs! This project has been in my head for months, too. I have been collecting stamps through a couple orders of pounds of rubber grab bags from Viva Las Vegastamps! These are so fun and you never know what you are going to get for your creating pleasure...PLUS it's a whole pound of RUBBER STAMPS {it's a whole lot}!!!

In these I got these two awesome stamps...

I used three Viva Las Vegastamps!: Frog Bottom #1546; Frog Background #6025bbi; and Celebrate #12390. I started off with a gloss piece of cardstock that I stamped in Stewart Superior Palette Hybrid "Giverny Green" a very bright and springy green. This ink is all-purpose and can be used with embossing powders.  So I created a large background paper by stamping frog background four times and embossed using VLVS Ultra High Gloss embossing powder. Then I applied three different green Distress Inks with a blending tool to make a soft modeled background. I have this stash of letter stickers - where I rummaged through and came across this package of "Sticky Face™" double sided letter stickers. PERFECT!! I have this jar of glittery green felted stuff I picked up on my trip to the stamp store to get my "Rubber Stamp Madeness" magazine. So I applied the letters, burnished them down and exposed the adhesive. I dumped on the felted powder and gently patted in and tapped off excess. This is a messy yet fun way to add texture. On another piece of gloss cardstock, I used the blending tool to apply three colors of green Distress Inks and spritzed with water to add texture. I heat set this then stamped "Celebrate" and the Frog in "Madonna Blue" Stewart Superior Memories Pigment ink and embossed with VLVS Ultra High Gloss embossing powder. I fussy cut these out and applied 3-D pop dots. Finished assembled piece is mounted on a navy blue card stock.

Detail showing embossing and texture of glittered felting on letters.

Today is the last day to submit your creations for the VLVS Theme Challenge for February! Submit your "LOVE" theme creations using Viva Las Vegastamps! for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate at the VLVS online store. CLICK HERE for info on submissions. Don't forget to check out the Viva Las Vegastamps! store.

Thanks so much for visiting & if you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. I hope you enjoy your EXTRA Day STAMPING!!!

Absolut-ly Fabulous Card - Shaped Like A Bottle of Absolut!

From the first time I saw the TV show Absolutely Fabulous, I fell in love with it! If you aren't familiar with it, Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character.

According to Wikipedia, the series features Saunders as Edina Monsoon, a heavy-drinking, drug-abusing PR agent who spends her time chasing bizarre fads in a desperate attempt to stay young and "hip." Edina is joined in her quest by magazine editor Patsy Stone, her best friend and enabler, whose drug abuse, alcohol consumption, and promiscuity far eclipse Edina's comparatively mild self-destructive behaviour.


The stamp, Party Girls 2 1/2 x 3 #183, from Viva Las Vegastamps!, immediately reminded me of Patsy and Edina. I decided to use this stamp, along with a bit of a play on words and a card shaped like a bottle of Absolut Vokda, to create a card that's perfect to tell someone you think their fab-u-lous!


I started by creating the card base using the Zing electronic cutting machine. Using Make The Cut!, I traced the silhouette of a bottle of Absolut, copied it, and then welded the two shapes together along the side, to create a bottle shaped card, sized to fit in a #10 envelope.  I cut out a single bottle shape in vellum to use as an overlay on the front of the card (to resemble the frosted glass of the bottle). I cut the cap out of paper covered in aluminum tape.  The lettering is the font Futura Extra Black Condensed BT, which is pretty close to Absolut's lettering style.

I stamped Party Girls 2 1/2 x 3 #183 on white paper, colored them with Copic markers and fussy cut them out.

To make it look like the bottle contained liquid, I masked off the top of the bottle and used distress ink to shade from the neck down.

To assemble the card, attach the aluminum cap and letters to the vellum. I ran the pieces through my Xyron to turn them in to stickers. The attach the vellum to the front of the card using Miracle Tape. Only use the tape behind the letters and cap so it doesn't show through the vellum.

Lastly, apply the party girls to the front of the card with Miracle Tape. Your done! The card is shown here resting on a red background so you can really see the shape.

You can see more of my projects on my blog on Create & Craft.
Happy Crafting!
Joe

Viva Las Vegastamps! A Month of Celebrations

January is a month of "Celebrations" 

At Viva Las Vegastamps! 

Today I am sharing another CELEBRATION card celebrating friends!!!  I am using VLVS! Cowgirl-Granny from Plate 1355 that just came out in November!  

Be sure to check out the savings when you buy stamps by the plate!  You get an even greater savings when you pre-order as new plates are introduced.  Be sure to check the front page in the Viva Las Vegastamps! store each month for the newest plates. 

Stamp VLVS! Cowgirl-Granny using Stewart Superior Memories Black ink on white card stock, using COPICs color her face and scarf.  

Stamp sentiment VLVS! "If friends could be bought..."  using Stewart Superior Memories Black ink on background pattern paper (Memory Box).  Heat emboss sentiment with Viva Las Vegastamps! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder.

Attach VLVS! Cowgirl-Granny and feather to the card using foam tape. Layer the pattern paper background on black and adhere to the card using Viva Las Vegastamps! Miracle Tape.

Add a little bling with red Stickles to her hat and blouse.

Gotta love your friends!
Check out my blog
Dreaming of Castles

Want to win some blog candy!!!

The Monthly Challenge is been posted

on the Viva Las Vegastamps! Blog.

This Months Theme is

"CELEBRATION"

Interpret “Celebration” any way you like... 

a Birthday, Anniversary, Party

or whatever you would like to celebrate!

Learn more HERE

Winner will receive a $25 shopping Spree 

to the Viva Las Vegastamps! on line store.

Post the Viva Las Vegastamps Blinkie on your blog 

and get a Free Grab bag of Unmounted Rubber.

Find more details on the VLVS! Sidebar beneath the “Blinke”

Aunt Ethel is the Life of what Party???

Happy New Year!!! It's Susan here with the top of the month Saturday post and today I'm feeling a little quirky. I am sharing two cards with you today. The first one falls into January's Theme Challenge of "Celebration". This kooky gal is dressed to the nine {NOT} and she's ready to P-A-R-T-Y!!!

Isn't Aunt Ethel the life of the party???

This card uses Party Lady #15176, Design Solid Ovals #9817 and the phrase "I'm Retired..." #15408 from Viva Las Vegastamps!

 

Here's the details: I started with a plain piece of matte finish cardstock that is painted with my special mix of gesso shimmer primer. Sounds fancy but it's a mixture of gesso and glazing medium with a small amount of gold shimmer, pale green and creme acrylic paint. It makes a nice buttery background that has a little texture. I mix this up so often I made a whole bottle of it complete with a dauber top.

Now to the fun part...stamping. I used Stewart Superior Memories Black Dye ink and stamped the image on the base layer. I love this ink! Especially for stamping images that I'm going to do a lot of coloring...there's no bleeding or smudging. Then using the ovals, I stamped a patterned floor using peeled paint distress ink. The gesso in the background tones down the intensity of the distress ink. I use my marvy dye markers and my  water brush to paint in her skin, hair and lips. With a makeup sponge, I used old paper distress ink to darken the background around her.

Now to dress her up! I have these metallic textured papers from an altered book club goody bag and have been saving these for something special {hehe}. I had a matching purple and pink paper with a wavy modeled texture like wallpaper that I stamped the image on with black staz-on. Then I stamped it again on a royal blue foil paper for just the balloon. I cut out the balloon, hat, dress, shoes and socks and paper pieced this doll back together. I added some finishing touches with a white opaque pen and my favorite gelly stardust pen. I stamped the quote on a piece of the same painted paper, matted with the textured pink metallic and VOILA..."A Party Queen"! These stamps just bring out the kid in me : )

Now for the second card...

I did a little bit of extra work here. I started out with a piece of crumpled hand-painted brown packing paper {like a brown paper bag}. I had made a couple huge sheets of it to make mini book covers. This is painted with a purple/bronzy shimmer spray and purple & brown acrylic paints with glazing medium. The top half of the card is the front of the paper. For contrast, and because it was pretty too, I used the backside of the same paper for the bottom left and right panels. The center panel is the same painted paper overstamped in black with a Texture/Chevron #9771, a natural pattern stamp from Viva Las Vegastamps! The quirky Birdhead #4026 is also from VLVS and is stamped in brown ink and embossed with clear embossing powder on tan cardstock. I trimmed around the image, sponged a little yellow ochre on the beak, added white to the eyes and raised with 3D dots. I finished off with an acrylic bezel word from SEI, burlap cording from May Arts and this silly quote #14908 in cardstock ovals to make a thought bubble. I love this monochromatic card - it is just so irresistably cute!

Thanks for dropping by and staying until the end. I invite and encourage you to submit your creations for the VLVS Theme Challenge for January! Submit your "CELEBRATION" theme creations using Viva Las Vegastamps! for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate at the VLVS online store. CLICK HERE for info on submissions. Don't forget to check out the Viva Las Vegastamps! store - there is something for every occasion and everything from breakfast to weiner dogs! Don't forget to hang out a little while to see what our talented Design Team has been up to.

Thanks so much for visiting & if you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. Enjoy the rest of your week : )