For a Good Cause

Happy Wednesday everyone!! I want to share a little part of me with you today. Early in life I learned how fulfilling volunteering can be. I learned that by giving someone a part of me--my time, my skill--that not only does the person I help benefit, but so do I. I have volunteered for many things from organizing events, to creating artwork and graphic projects, to leading a community organization. I still love to volunteer and find that as a cardmaker it is very fun to give handmade cards to groups to use to send a special greeting or note to loved ones. Some organizations like Operation Write Home actually have this down to routine complete with a list of deadlines and needs. They send cards to active duty soldiers so that they can write their love ones. One of their highest demanded cards are blank all-occasion cards [note the changes in the directions to make this card for OWH--they have strict rules about things like glitter and shiny sparkly powders that would rub off]. Another fantastic place to donate your cards is the nursing homes and senior centers so that they too have an option for sending greetings to their friends and family members. I hope--if you don't already give--perhaps that you will consider donating handmade cards to such worthy causes--they are truly grateful for our efforts! I hope you enjoy my project! 

 The Method

For this project you will need:

Paris Trunk Ink Black

Versamark Ink

Distress Inks in Old Paper and Walnut Stain

Foam Tape

Soft Brush and cloth

a bit of ribbon

White and Red Bazzill Basics

I began by stamping my split column image on a random piece of paper so that I could make a mask. I cut along the right side of the column. This will protect my image on my project from being over-stamped with the grunge stamp. You can see on the mask how it protected the image below.

I stamped the column, placed my mask down and then stamped my grunge writing background. I trimmed this piece out close to the stamped images. The edges of the card were distressed. Old Paper was then stippled onto the images and the edges were lightly inked with Walnut Stain.

I stamped the red with the two swirl images in versamark all over.

I dusted the stamped swirls with Bronze Mixers and wiped with a soft cloth to remove the excess. For OWH I would instead dust the swirls with High Gloss Embossing Powder or instead stamp the swirls with a color dye ink to keep any possible glitter or sparkle from wiping off the card.

The red card stock was folded in half and edged with Walnut Ink. The stamped focal piece was attached to the card with foam tape and a bow was fashioned with some ribbon and added to the card with Miracle Tape.

Thank you for looking! ~leslierahye

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!

Oh, let me count the days!

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's nearly the end of July and for my family that means a fast dash to the end of the year! We start school in less than a month. We have classes, concerts, games, and carnivals. Then Halloween then Thanksgiving and then the winter holidays. whoosh! Where did the end of the year go! I think it goes in warp speed but my kids are forever asking "when is...". 

I've seen these count down calendars all over the net and decided this would be PERFECT for the "when is" faction in my house...They're super easy to make and with the vast array of Viva Las Vegastamps! you can keep up with every season!! 

The Process

For this project you will need:

A frame with glass of your choosing [mine is 4×6"]

a variety of inks including versamark for the glass

Cardstock/papers

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Remove glass from frame and clean with moist wipe.
Stamp images with versamark to "frame" the edges.
Cover with Embossing Powder--clean up powder along
images with a soft brush to remove powder from where
you don't want it.

Heat thoroughly to insure all the EP melts.
WARNING GLASS GETS HOT.

Give the melted EP about a minute to set...then dust with
Terri Sproul Mixers--I used Bronze but you could use any.

Dust off excess and return to pot. Wipe the glass again
with a moist towel to remove un-attached powder. I zapped
the embossed images with a heat tool one more time to
permanently set the EP with Mixers.

And now for a count down

Now return the glass to the frame. You are ready to make count down pages! You can count down to ANYTHING. I made a count down to Santa's arrival and one to the first day of school. Change the stamps and papers/backgrounds to match your countdown. Use a dry erase marker to write on the glass as your number changes.

Santa's background was made with the Snow background
stamped with versamark and dusted with silver and aquamarine
mixers. He was stamped with Archival ink, accented with
craypas, The Santa's Coming sentiment was stamped with
red and a green 2nd generation image of the oval doily was used
as a frame. The count down takes place below the sentiment.

For the beginning of school a primary background was made with Distress inks and
then the pens were stamped with blue, the oval doily in red, and School in...__days
was hand-lettered. The count down is written in the "hole" created in the oval.

Thank you for looking! I hope you enjoyed my projects as I try to quiet the "when is" faction in my life! ~leslierahye

Paddling Down the River

Supplies:
1 oz Creative Paperclay's Delight
Terri Sproul Mixer-Tanzanite Pearl (Blue Pearl)
Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer

Black Matte board 6x7 in.
Letraset Promarkers
Brilliance Stamp pad ink-Starlight Silver
Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint-Antique White
Black cardstock
Colorbök Scrapbook paper
Paint Brush
Scissors

PVA Glue
3D foam dots
Black sharpie marker


Viva Las Vegastamps! used:
Tree Background
Steampunk Swan Ship
Life is Beautiful

I stamped my Steampunk Swan Ship image onto a piece of Delight clay that was left over from another project.  It was about 1/8 of an inch thick and already dried.  I cut the image out with a pair of scissors and colored it with my Promarkers.

I stamped the Trees background onto the black cardstock with Brilliance Starlight Silver and cut it out.   I cut out small areas for the background to show through.  (Sorry for the blurred image-that's my camera, not the stamped image!).

Turning to the matte board, I covered about 2/3 of it with a piece of Scrapbook paper.

Then I glued the trees over the background.

After mixing the Terri Sproul Mixer with the 3D lacquer, I painted the remaining portion of the matte board with a thin layer.  It dries almost instantly, so then I picked up a very small amount of Antique White acrylic paint and dabbed online the bottom of the trees.   Using a bit more paint, I spread it across the board to simulate icy water, leaving a darker area to imply depths.  

I applied 3D foam dots to the Swan ship and stuck it onto the matte board.  

I discovered something in this process.  Originally, I stamped 'Life is Beautiful' with the Silver Starlight ink over the Terri Sproul Mixer.  To my surprise,  I got a holographic effect.  If you held the matte board one way, you would see the text, but if you moved it even slightly, the text disappeared.  It was rather cool!

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the text to scan or get it with my camera, so I stamped the text onto some left over Delight and painted over the holographic text.  One of these days though, I'm going to play with that technique.

Viva Las Vegastamps! has a wide variety of rubber stamps--just about anything you might want for any occasion.  New projects are posted every day at the VLVS! blog and you can find the entire product range at VLVS! online store.

Rubbed Mica Distress with Sandra Strait's Tangles and Kromecote

Today I created a notecard with my teammate Sandra Strait's new tangled background stamp. This Rubbed Mica Distress technique that I created using Kromecote paper and Terri Sproul Mixers is super easy and makes an interesting aged appearance to the image. 

For this project you will need:

Black Archival Ink

Versamark Distress Ink

Soft Bristle Brush

Soft Cloth

Card Stock

You begin by covering the Kromecote with Versamark Watermark Ink...note the rectangle shape of the pad as I pressed and lifted repeatedly to cover the paper. Next with my soft brush I pounced on mica powder to cover the ink. Once covered I dusted lightly with the brush to remove the excess.

I then inked my background stamp with Archival ink and pressed into the mica covered Kromecote. I love how it look like it stamps under the mica powder.

Next I buffed the Kromecote with a soft cloth to remove the top layer. The mica powders dye the Kromecote and Archival Ink settles nicely into the paper leaving a distressed but shiny look. Finally I inked up the pen stamp and the drawing sentiment with the Archival Ink and stamped on top of my Rubbed Mica Distress to create the top image for my note card.

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I edged the trimmed Kromecote with Archival Ink and mounted it onto a piece of brown card stock with Miracle Tape. Thank you for looking! I hope you enjoyed my technique and project.

How I store my stamps

I thought I would also share with you how I tend to my Viva Las Vegastamps! When I get my new plates of rubber, I trim out around the stamps I want to use on the plates [most of the time it's EVERY stamp]. I place them on a piece of mounting foam that is adhesive on one side and cling film on the other. After I trim out my stamps I can store them on cardboard sheets that will hold the cling film stamps. I have a 12×12 box that holds my cardboard sheets and my acrylic stamping blocks.

~leslierahye

Fun Cards are Quick and Easy using New Mary Vogel Lozinak Stamps!!!

Hello and Welcome to THURSDAY at Viva Las Vegastamps!!! Susan here to bring you a few fabulous and funky cards made using a few of the new Mary Vogel Lozinak stamps. I have three plates of her images and they are just so much fun.

Did you see my "Circus Rat" earrings? Please CLICK HERE to see what you missed.

Here are three quick and easy cards I created using sketches from Operation Write Home - an awesome organization that provides handmade cards to our troops stationed all over the globe.

This card uses my FAVORITE Mary Vogel Lozinak Bird Head on a Stick stamp. I stamped this with black ink on white cardstock, then hand colored with my brand new Ranger Distress Markers and accented with Gellee Glaze Pens. The background is a scrap of Basic Grey Patterned Paper on a purple card base. The stripes are metallic gift ribbon adhered with Miracle Tape. I finished off this "Quirky Bird" with some colorful feathers. I popped him up with 3D pop dots, and he's ready for the party!!!

This card uses the festive Mary Vogel Lozinak Bird on Elephant stamped on a white coated paper. Using a direct to paper technique, I stained paper with a rainbow ink pad then misted with water. I accented the edges with antique pearl dewdrop ink, then hand-colored the image with my Ranger Distress Markers and matted on a bright blue cardstock. I layered this on top of two strips of two-tone green marquis patterned paper and topped this off with small green gems for this bird to juggle some "BLING"!

This card I stamped the Mary Vogel Lozinak Flower Background Stamp in black Staz-On ink on acrylic hand-painted paper. The paper was painted using a technique from Traci Bautista's "Collage Unleashed" Book. After inking edges with black ink, I layered the floral on a natural brown handmade paper and a hand-misted black cardstock using a mist made of Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer and Bronze Terri Sproul Mixers! This is tied off with a simple moss colored satin bow.

Thanks so much for dropping by today! If you haven't subscribed to the VLVS Blog - you want to!!! The Viva Las Vegastamps! cast of characters will be bringing you posts every day! Don't forget to check out the Viva Las Vegastamps! store - new stamp releases have just been added. 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 June 18th. Have an inky day! Sb

Sew Much Fun Scrapbook Layout

 Each summer, for the last 3 summers, my son and I have attended the annual 4H sewing camp. Even though he is often the only boy at the camp, this is something he looks forward to doing every year with me. He takes to camp the 1930s Singer Featherweight that my mother took with her to college to sew and that I learned to sew on! It's a fabulous machine and Will has sewn award winning projects on it!  I knew immediately these Viva Las Vegastamps! were perfect for this layout! I hope you enjoy!

For this project you will need:

Distress ink pads 

[Walnut Stain, Frayed Burlap, Antique Linen & Old Paper]

Versamark
Bazzill white cardstock

dry soft brush and stipple brush

ribbon & hardware

The background of the layout was constructed on a piece of white card stock. I stippled on layers of the lighter Distress inks and then stamped the entire background with the machine and notions stamps with the Versamark pad. I dusted the stamped watermarks with Viva Las Vegastamps! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder and heat embossed the images. I then stipple over the tops of the images focusing attention on the edges with the darker ink. I spritzed the entire page with water to subdue the color and wiped the tops of the embosses images. I then dried the entire page with my heat tool--re-warming the embossed places so that they would "hold on" to dry mica powders. I then dusted the images with Terri Sproul Mixers and wiped off the excess residue.

Next I created a simple background my rubbing the Antique Linen directly onto a page. I swirled a bit of Walnut stain into the background creating a marbled look. After drying that piece completely, I stamped with the walnut ink the tape measure stamp on the skinnier strip and the spools and tape measure on the journal box. Both stamped pieces were immediately dusted with embossing powder and heat set. 

Finally I heavily edged the journal square with my ink and dusted it with embossing powder as well to give that extra aged look.

The matte behind the photo was created by simply adding Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap directly to the paper and Stippling some Walnut Stain around the edge for emphasis. The ribbon was colored with the distress inks and a ribbon slide was added to the top ribbon to highlight the word sewn.

Thank you for looking at my scrapbook page! I hope you enjoy it. For more scrapbooking ideas, visit my blog!

~leslierahye

Sew Many Ways...to show someone you care

When looking for stamps for my next project from Viva Las Vegastamps! I spotted these fantastic vintage photo-image stamps. They are stunning. I could not stop at just one or two, I needed the entire plate! They are the perfect size for Artist Trading Cards [ATCs], and the sentiments on the plate lend themselves not only to artjournaling and cardmaking, but also to memory keeping. With Mother's Day is just around the corner, I thought I would share a quick technique and a few cards that could be used for sending to Mom or a special someone in your life. 

For this technique you will need:

Versamark Watermark Pad

a loose brush

foam squares

Hem Tape and Heat Gun

Buttons and Embroidery floss

Trim

Ranger Archival Ink

Card Stock [I used Basic Grey Wisteria for my samples]

Create a collage with the notions stamps from the plate.
Ink up the stamps with the versamark and stamp image onto card stock.

With a brush, brush on Terri Sproul's mixers in your favorite
color--I liked the bronze. Swipe back over the stamped image
to remove the excess powder. The versamark ink "holds"
onto the mica powder creating a subtle imprint on your card.

For this card I stamped the image on a piece of 3½×2½"
white card stock base with Ranger Archival ink. I double
matted the photo with Basic Grey card stock and Paper.
I lightly touched the edge of the outer matte to the black
ink to visually frame the photo stamp. This was then added
to a card base that I had stamped with the above
technique. A piece of woven trim was attache to the card
with a strip of Miracle Tape. Buttons with tied floss knots
were added to the trim. The sentiment from the plate was
stamped onto of the Mixer-brushed stamped image.

This image was also stamped on white card stock. The horizontal
image is perfect for cards. The edge of the stamped image was pierced
to imitate stitching and the edges were distresses. This was matted onto
a piece of Basic Grey patterned paper stamped on the edge with the
tape measure image on the plate. I piece of Hem Tape was attached to
the front with Miracle Tape before being matted to the final card layers.
The tape was heated to make it "melt" and curl. The sentiment was
stamped in black on the bottom of the base layer.

I could not share this plate with you without making at least
one ATC to share. The photo-image was stamped with black
onto an ATC base. The measuring tape image and the sewing
machine image were layered over the top of the card with
Versamark and dusted with bronze Mixers in the manner above.
This sentiment was stamped on a thin strip of patterned paper
which was then backed with 1" Miracle Tape.  The words were
then trimmed out and easily adheres to the front
of the card by removing the back strip. The card was
edged with black to give it definition. A piece of crinkled
hem tape and a knotted button were added for fun!

Thank you for looking at my fun projects with these beautiful vintage photo-stamps.
~leslierahye