Saturday, February 28, 2015

Celebrate Everything.

Hello!  Mary here with a simple, yet fun stamped project step-by-step for you.

I began by stamping the Large Button and Small Button stamps with StazOn ink in Jet Black.


Then, because I was stamping on watercolor paper which is very textured, I filled in my stamping with a Faber-Castell pitt artist pen.  The black fades a bit and matches the StazOn ink perfectly!


A little Distress Ink painted on...


... with a few flicks of water add subtle texture.


 Then, I added machine stitching for even more texture.


I embellished with the sweet Girl in Princess Costume stamp and the Until Further Notice sentiment stamp to finish my book covers.


And now, all that's left is to make a book!


Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope I've inspired you to grab your favorite VLVS! rubber and make something today!

 xx Mary

Friday, February 27, 2015

Guest Designer >> Tiffany Goff Smith

We're welcoming back Tiffany Goff Smith for her second post as our February Guest Designer! 



Hello Tiffany back again with one more project I designed. My goal is to have an online workshop (my very first) soon and it will be on painting purses and wallets.



Do not limit your creativity to just paper or canvas. There is so much else out there you can paint and recycle. I love to go to the thrift store and find things to recycle and see how paint works on them.



This project I used a canvas wallet and layer upon layer built it up with using theses stamps with ink and paint. Yes its ok to use your stamps with acrylic paints just make sure that you clean them as soon as you are through using them.





The stamps that I used added fantastic elements to the piece. Thanks so much for checking out my project and check on my blog to see when the class will be posted.

Writing Circles BG
Double Coffee Rings
Staple X
Mesh Background
Invoice / Waybill

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Sending Wishes

Hi hi everyone!!  Michele here with you today and I would like to share a fun background technique that I saw over on Mr. Holtz's blog last year.  Paint and stamps together can create a fun shabby looking background.  Let's get started...

You will need a tag, acrylic paint, stamps, clear embossing power, a paper towel and water to start.


 I used Writing Background (Item 16207 Plate 1287) and Writing Circles Background (Item 19567 Plate 1455) for my background layer.


VLVS! High Gloss Embossing Powder creates an amazing resist.


Paint over the entire tag.  Let dry to the touch, leaving a bit tacky.


 I did 2 layers of paint for a bit more depth.  Then I used Coffee Ring Stain (Item 19230 Plate 926) and Mesh Texture (Item 19569 Plate 1455) for the next layer.

So here is my finished tag with a few more awesome VLVS! images fussy cut and water colored with my Distress Markers.


Tricycle Girl Mailing Letter (Item 19558 Plate 1451) and Happy Moon (Item 19507 Plate 1450).


We have also got some Um Wow Studios layered clouds, glass glitter, thread and gesso.


 Along with a bit of Tim Holtz tissue tape.

Thanks for stopping by...until next time, get inky!!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Journaling SAMCRO

One of the things I'm going to try to be better at is journaling the little things that I want to be able to look back on and remember.  One of my favorite shows was the "Sons of Anarchy", LOVED IT!!!!  My husband and I watched it faithfully, all 7 seasons, and I wanted to do a page on how much we loved it. Pay a little homage to Jax if you will. :)

Here is my journal spread and then I will show you how it all came together:
I started out with two pages that I had cleaned my Gelli plate on (I love doing that) after making other pages as well as cleaning stamps on, a great way to use up the extra ink!
Then I had an awesome image of Jax that I had clipped from a magazine and I placed him onto the one page.
Then I saw the left side needed a little something so I stamped the film strip stamp onto it.
Then I painted inside of the film strip so it would tie in with the color on the other page, making it more cohesive.
And once more here is the finished spread
and some close ups
 I love that glob of paint, texture!!!
The stamps I used to make this project are the film strip, bubble wrap texture, tire tread, danger skeleton, line of chevrons, row of stars, censored, one way, arrow, writing arrow, chevrons, not all who wander are lost, french writing background, on the flip side, and last but not least the spotty background! Whew, I don't think I missed any but I sure had fun using all of these stamps!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed my project.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

bird of a feather

Hi Hermine here, today I made a card and used ultra gloss embossing powder for the bird.


step 1: take a rectangle card but don't fold it yet. Spray with Bistre. Stamp the clockface 19468 with stazon.
step 2: spray some water and sprinkle some Brusho (colour: camboge) and colour with a marker some of the details inside the clockface with aprox. the same colour. Put aside for a while
step 3: take some music paper, glue a wire on it and cover it again with music paper, draw a feather shape on it and cut out, Cut some notches all around the feather. Do the same with the second one. Then spray some water and sprinkel green Bistre, dry with a heattool, spray some water again and sprinkle some Brusho. Dry with a heattool.
step 4: stamp the large bird flying 19001 on a seperate piece of paper and cut out. Colour with Lyra Crayons. Then cover the whole bird with Versamark and Ultra high gloss clear embossingpowder. heatset it, cover again with Versamark and embossing powder and heatset again.
step 5: make some faux stitches on the left hand side of the card with a black fineliner.
step 6: Glue the feathers onto the card with magical tape and then glue the bird on top of the lowest feather. Take some string and tie a knot on the ends of the wire.


Hope you like it and gives you inspiration. Making those feathers is so much fun!


Warmly Hermine



used materials:
Clockface 19468
Large bird flying 19001
Ultra High Gloss clear embossingpowder
magical tape
stazon





Monday, February 23, 2015

Join our Altered Spool Swap

Did you know?

We regularly host an art swap in our Viva Las VegaStamps! Groupies Facebook group!

Our current swap is Altered Spools -- and we'd love to have you join. The rules are easy; create THREE altered wooden or cardboard spools -- The EASIEST way to finish all spools is to do one master and just duplicate for the other two. Your spools should be between 2 inches tall and 6 inches tall, as wide as you like. Find or create any spool that will work for you. Feel free to get creative on what you can find. You will send in three spools and get two spools returned to you. We will keep one for the store display.

Need a little inspiration? Visit these Pinterest boards we've found with altered spools:


The current theme is SPRING -- so anything that might fit including but not limited to anything flowers, bugs, animals, baby animals, gardens, gnomes, picnics, nature, celestial.. etc. 

Signups close THIS FRIDAY (2.27.15) so join our group and comment on the PINNED post at the top to enter!

Friday, February 20, 2015

Guest Designer >> Tiffany Goff Smith

Today we have a great mixed media artist joining us. I stumbled upon her on facebook and am excited to have her along!

Introducing Tiffany Smith: 

Hi I'm Tiffany Smith a southern belle from the beautiful Gulf Coast of Alabama. I have a passion to create unique, colorful and textured pieces of art. Growing up in a home with a mother that was always drawing, crocheting, knitting or painting. Trying new things is built in DNA. It is extremely therapeutic to walk into my studio and began to slap paint in my journal or latest project. I hope you enjoy what I have made for you today.

And now I'll let her take over:

Tiffany Smith here I will be your guest designer today.


 
It's something about the month of February that just draws you to hearts, I mean they are EVERYWHERE I look. So for today I have created a cute little wall hanging out of recycled cardboard. I have a passion (well some may say an obsession) for taking ordinary "junk" and giving it new life. In this mixed media project I used layers of cardboard, vintage handwritten letter, gesso, muslin fabric, acrylic paints and the Stitching and Tape X stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps!.

 

The thing I love most about these stamps is they are so versatile in my projects I love to add layers and texture and they are perfect for doing just that.

Thanks so much for joining us today Tiffany! Your work is so great and we're honored to have you here  using our rubber stamps.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Dragonfly Art Journal Page

Hello and welcome everyone to a new day of inspiration here. I made it into a video YAY. So check that out below!


I played in my art journal. YES it was fun too! I got to play with some new sprays, and some metals, and a new stencil. I am crazy excited and loved how this page turned out. 


Here you can see the Dragonfly Wings - 11042 were stamped and cut out. 


You can see all the stamping I did here using Staz-On Ink and Prima Chalk Inks. All the stamps are listed below. I used a a bit to build up a background!


I used glass beads, in the 3d gloss gel with a stencil. 


The tag was a fun add too but I wasn't sure what to write on it or stamp on it so I colored it in with some Bloom Sprays.




The stamps I used are the following:


If you would like to see how I created this art journal page check it out HERE!!!!

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Dream Big

Hello everybody,

Corrie here. I am sharing a card with you today and I had so much fun making this. I hope you get inspired and dust of your rubber stamps and get creating !




Here's how I made this card :


Start with a piece of Gelli Print or some patterned paper cut into a panel that can go on the front of your card. I used a piece of Gelli Print.


Use a die or punch to cut some scalloped strips of pattern paper (I used Authentique - Be(you)tiful), ink the edges and adhere to your base panel. Ink the edges of the card panel.


Stamp the background with grey, black and orange Archival Inks and add some washi tape at three edges. (A list of stamps I used is at the bottom of this post).




Stamp the main image twice; once on your card panel and once on white card stock. I used Archival Jet Black to stamp on the panel and Memento to stamp on the white card stock as I was going to used Copic Markers to colour the image. 
I stamped the image on the panel because it is very difficult to cut out small details like the antennae on their heads. By doing it this way you can just cut them off when cutting out the main image. 
I used a silver gel pen to colour the antennae on the card panel. 



Once the image is coloured and cut out you can just adhere it on top of the one on your card base. I also stamped a sentiment on the same pattern paper as I used at the edges of the card. I inked the edges of this piece and then adhered it together with the main image on the card panel. Lastly I added some shadows around the image and sentiment with a Big Brush Marker.

Next I put some washi tape on the left side of my card base.



And here is the finished result, all put together. 

I used the following stamps :



Thank you so much for stopping by today ! 

Hope to see you next time...

Corrie x




Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Update!


Our site is back up and fully functioning! 


Thank you for your patience. 

We have extended our sale for another 24 hours -- shop till you drop through tomorrow (Wednesday) at Noon PST.




Click here to shop!

xox

Friday, February 13, 2015

Friday the 13th {BLOG HOP}

It's Friday the 13th and it's time to get CREEPTASTIC. UNLUCKY. SPOOOOOKY.

We are excited to bring you a little FRIGHT during some NON Halloween time.


It IS Friday the 13th after-all.

So join the Design Team here @ Viva Las VegaStamps! on a little journey of spooky creepy and unlucky creations today.

You'll want to stop bye each blog to see what's up -- leave a little love because some of our friends may have prizes to give out -- plus we're giving away our own prize -- a LB O' Rubber to one random comment along the hop!

Now get to steppin!


Stop back here at the end and let me know what really sparked your interest on the hop! HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH! 

Thursday, February 12, 2015

With Love.

Hello, Mary here, to share a sweetly stamped Valentine I've created for my Sweetie.


For the background, I've just inked it up with Distress Ink and water and then stamped the Medium Doily slightly off the edge to add a bit of interest.


To complete my background, I then stamped the Heart Outline nineteen times---one for each Valentine's Day we've spent together.  A quick dusting of Perfect Pearls adds a touch of sparkle without any glitter to flake off.


I then stamped Young Love and colored them up with my Copic markers.  These cuties look like the Campbell Soup kids from days gone by and SO remind me of my husband in his baby pictures!  A bit of fussy cutting and I glued the image down.


To finish off my card, I've stamped the {With Love} sentiment and stitched on a few vellum hearts to add a bit of dimension.  I love how you can still see the background and hearts through the vellum.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Now, go grab your favorite rubber and make something sweet to give this Valentine's Day!!