In Honor of Moms!

This is my second Mother's Day without my Mother.  I would like to dedicate this post to all the Mom's out there.  

Altered Pages has many images that would make beautiful cards and gifts for moms!

Mothers love anything that is made from the heart.  I know first hand. When I was in the second grade I made a mug from clay. It was glazed and fired and I was really proud to give my special gift to mom. It was crudely made and way  too small to use for drinking. For years she kept little things in it on a book shelf. When I was about 18 I told her she could toss that ugly little mug. Her reply, "Oh no, this is a precious gift from my beautiful daughter."

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Make that special gift for your very special Mom! 

No matter what it is she will love it!

Supplies: 

Altered Pages Collage Sheet

Glitz Paper

Wooden Shaped Heart

Paper Roses

Self stick Pearls

Trim

Altered Pages-Seed Catalogs

Spring is here and it is time for planting.  Get out your catalogs and start planning your garden planting. Better start creating with Altered Pages Collage Sheets!!!

Here is a set of tags using the Altered Pages Victorian Seed Catalogs AP-1136!

Manila Tags are the base, cover the tag with Paris Ink - BLOTTER, then spritzed with walnut and pink. Kraft Calendars to help with planning of the planting.  Add German Scrap to the bottom of the tag.

Finally from my stash a bit of vintage silk ribbon to top them off!

Enjoy creating!!

Artist Trading Blocks from Altered Pages!

Believe it or Not, this ATC started out as a block of wood!! Yes, you can purchase Artist Trading Blocks here at Altered Pages. They are a lot of fun since you have four sides and a top to work with.

To start paint the block with gold craft paint. Cover the side with French Kiss Glitz Paper. Get the images you would like to use on your ATC, for this one images are from:

Color ATC Pink

Valentines of Nations

ATCs Paris  

This fussy cut lady was actually on a Valentine, a few feathers were added to her hat.

On the sides with the ladies there are few gems in the lower right. A little netting was added to the hat behind the big bow of this lady. 

The Eiffel Tower is from the French Kiss Glitz Paper pack.  

The Leaky Shed Fancy Keyhole can be found at Altered Pages HERE! Vintage trim from my stash was added around the bottom to give it a finished look. Finally it was topped off with beads, buttons and a jewel. 

Hope this convinces you try to make a few ATIST TRADING BLOCKS.  They make great gifts!

VLVS! Making Backgrounds!

It is always fun to try new techniques using what is around the house, shop/garage or in our creative supply stash.  Today's post is about making backgrounds.

Faux Wood Background

This is an ATC from a SWAP... The theme of the swap was "FROM THE SHOP." My shop items are masking tape and locking washers! over lapping layers of Masking Tape on the base card stock (2 1/2 x 3 1/2), swipe with Chocolate Brown. Stamp VLVS! Harlequin Diamond Background with Barn Red after stamping off. Note: stamping off is inking the stamp then stamping on another sheet of paper before on the actual project.  Next stamp the VLVS! Easy Dog Rider and Route 66 Road Sign with Black. Cover the entire card with VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder, heat the embossing powder until clear, this gives the card a nice finish. Add locking washers (available at the hardware store) for embellishment and a touch of color with COPICS.

Supplies:

VLVS! Stamp Harlequin Diamond Background

VLVS! Easy Dog Rider

VLVS! Route 66 Road Sign

VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder

Masking Tape (shop)

Card stock

Inks: Chocolate Brown, Barn Red and Black

Heat Emboss Gun

Locking Washers(shop)

COPICS

RESIST With

VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder

Stamp the VLVS! Nike Statue and VLVS! Two Columns in the back ground with white ink (one statue with violet ink), using masks to keep from stamping over previously stamped images. Heat emboss with VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder.  Spritz with mists, wipe the mist from the embossed images. Randomly stamp VLVS! Swirls to create borders with violet ink. Ink May Arts Lace with chocolate ink and adhere with VLVS! Miracle Tape. What a great background!!!

Supplies:

VLVS! Lady with Arms

VLVS! Nike Statue

VLVS! Two Columns

VLVS! Swirl 2 x 3 3/4

VLVS! Swirl 2 3/4 x4 1/2

VLVS! Swirl 1 x 2 1/4

VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder

VLVS! Miracle Tape

May Arts Lace

Kromecote Cardstock

Journal Clairfontaine

Ink White - Violet - Chocolate

Mist - Winter Grass Stewart Superior

Mist - Sandalwood 

Add VLVS! Lady with Arms stamped on Kromecote Cardstock, fuzzy cut and add her in the foreground.  

Washi Tape Background

To see step by step instuctions on making your own Washi Tape check out Dee Dee's Washi Tape Tutorial posted earlier this week. It is well worth watching!!!

For this card place VLVS! Miracle Tape 1 inch on white tissue. Use an dauber or sponge to apply brown ink directly to the white tissue. 

Randomly stamp images of VLVS! stamps Draw,Pen Tips, Pointed Pen Tip, A Drawing Is and This is where I draw the line on the tissue. Note: the images are partially stamped on the tape. Now you have beautiful one of a kind Washi Tape.   

For this card the Washi Tape was cut to fit the card stock panel and used as a background. A few pen nibs were added in the lower left.  Stamp the VLVS! Feather Pen Collage on coordinating card stock and mount with foam tape.

Supplies:

VLVS! Miracle Tape 1 inch

VLVS! Draw

VLVS! Pen Tips

VLVS! Pointed Pen Tip

VLVS! A Drawing Is

VLVS! This is where I draw the line

VLVS! Feather Pen Collage

VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder

White Tissue (dollar store)

Pen Nibs (thrift store)

Card stock

Ink Brown & Black

Curtains

Another background can be done using VLVS! Stage Curtains stamps to create a mini stage. This is a background I used last weekend when the VLVS! Design Team had their fantastic blog hop BLAST FROM THE PAST using VLVS! Oldie But Goodies Stamps! My stamp was the VLVS! MAN WITH HOOP! Here I created an altered tin with a stage.

Supplies:

VLVS! MAN WITH HOOP

VLVS! Chevron Banner

VLVS! Stage Curtains

VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder

May Arts Ribbon & Fibers

Altoid Tin

Transparency

Cream card stock

Pink Card stock

Black ink

Red ink

Stickles

Sakura Crystal Lacquer

Hearts Made from Creative Paperclay®

Be Mine - Sticker

Foam Tape

Small blocks

Now is the time to stock up on your Viva Las VegaStamps! 

They are now  47% OFF!!! 

Valentine Tin with Sakura Crystal Lacquer!

READY FOR VALENTINES DAY?

Valentines is just a few weeks away!!!  It is time to get to work on the Sweet Valentines. Here is a simply way to dress up any tin or heart box, to put that special something for the LOVE of your life.

On the tin use Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer to adhere a red paper doily, then a white doily layered on top. Cover with a thin layer of Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer. With tweezers gently place large red seed beads around the edge of the doily. While the lacquer is still wet sprinkle with Terri Sproul Ultra Fine Glitter. Set aside to dry overnight.   Add another layer of Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer and set aside to dry again. Adhere Tim Holtz flying bird with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer! Your tin is now ready to use!

Supplies:

Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer

Terri Sproul Ultra Fine Glitter

Tin (5 x 5 1/2)

Red Doily

White Doily

Large Red Seed Beads

Bird Charm

Create 3D Embellishments with Sakura Crystal Lacquer

Ever see an image and wish you could use it as a 3D element on a card or scrapbook page... 

YOU CAN and is it easy!!!

The images above are from a collage sheet Retro Cafe Art gave away for free.

Supplies:

Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer

Images - Retro Cafe Art

Cardstock

Pattern Paper

Black Ink to distress paper

Tim Holtz Black Distressing Marker

Additional embellishments:

Black flower

Rhinestone flower center

Chipboard Key-Maya Road

All you need is Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer. 

Adhere images to thin chipboard, cereal box or thick card stock. Fussy cut each image with care.  Apply Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer to parts or all of each of the images as desired. Set aside to dry.  Once dry, take a black marker and carefully go around the edges with the side of the pen.  This covers all the white that may show. 

On the moon without the hat Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer is on the face.  The moon with the hat has Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer on the hat only.

This card has the moon, wings, witches frame, hat & dress with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer. Also, the flower  has been applied with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer.  

The raven has  Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer applied to the whole image, no lacquer was applied to the image of Poe.  

Here is the moon where only the hat has Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer.  Only the outside frame of the pumpkin with the witch inside has Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer.  The Two stacked pumpkins have Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer applied to the whole image. 

See what fun you can have creating your own 3D images with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer!

Creative Paperclay® Halloween Coffin!

Halloween is one of my favorite celebrations during the year.  It doesn't have all the pressure of cooking a big meal, the big family gathering and all that goes along with other holiday.  I love table top decorations around the house.  Today I am making a little scary creature for my tiny coffin using Creative Paperclay®.

Supplies:

Creative Paperclay®

Small Wooden Coffin 

Sakura Crystal Lacquer

Terri Sproul Mixer's Gold

Articus Frozen Charlotte Mold

Amazing Mold Putty

Items Made with Creative Paperclay®

Frozen Charlottes (large and small)

Fleur-De-Lis

Skull and Cross Bones with a Crown

Heart

Stash:

Rhinestones - Red

Dresden Crown & Wings

Black Craft Paint

Red Craft Paing

Heart cookie cutter

Shiny red fabric

Trim - black lace

With Creative Paperclay® make the doll elements and decorations for your coffin. Using the Articus Frozen Charlotte Mold make a  doll (I used the tallest doll).  With Mold Putty make a mold of a doll head a little bigger than the Frozen Charlotte's head.  Also from a mold of a wooden Fleur-De-Lis from the craft store or hardware store and a Skull and Cross Bones with a Crown charm make additional pieces with Creative Paperclay®. Make small herar with the cookie cutter.

Paint the Creative Paperclay® doll with clear Sakura Crystal Lacquer while the lacquer is still wet add the red rhinestones for the eyes. Attach the over sized head to the body with Sakura Crystal Lacquer. Attach crown and wings. set aside to dry.  Paint the Fleur-De-Lis and crown on the Skull & Cross Bones with Sakura Crystal Lacquer and Terri Sproul Mixer's Gold. Adhere the rhinestones to the Skull and Cross Bones with Sakura Crystal Lacquer.

Paint the coffin black with black craft paint, let it dry. Then paint with clear Sakura Crystal Lacquer, set aside to dry.  Line coffin with shiny red fabric and trim with black lace. Adhere the Fleur-De-Lis and Skull & Cross Bones with Sakura Crystal Lacquer.

 Here you have a small,

 but creepy coffin for Halloween!

Hope you enjoyed this project. 

Thank you for stopping by.

Viva Las Vegastamps! and Stretching your Stamp Dollars!!!

There at least six ways to make your stamp dollars go further at Viva Las Vegastamps! First, if you like unmounted stamps, purchase acrylic blocks and buy unmounted rubber.  

Second, you could buy a Pound o' Rubber!  YES, a whole POUND!  It is a grab bag and you don’t know what you are going to get.  For the price you sure get a BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.  You have to be willing to gamble a little... I have gotten 4 grab bags and have only had 3 duplicate stamps.  I am addicted to grab bags!!!  If you want to start out small there several sizes of grab bags to choose from! 

Third, watch for pre-orders on the Viva Las Vegastamps! online store.  There is usually something that you can pre-order and get a substantial savings.  Sign up for the news letter to get the latest news 

The fourth, is what I am going to share with you today.  That is using the same image with different sayings!  Find an image that is versatile, like the Easy Dog Rider, then look for sayings that will work with that image. If you are on a budget when you start your stamp collection and you aren’t a gambler  this may be the way to go!

All stamps in the samples are from Viva Las Vegastamps! All images were stamped with Stewart Superior Memories Black Ink and heat embossed with VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder... a little color was added to the images with COPICS.  All papers are scraps from my stash!

Stamps:

Easy Rider Dog

Happy Birthday

Don’t Dream It...Be It!

Celebrate

I'M AROUND 21 But I won’t Say How Many Times

I ‘m Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams

I didn't want to be tied down with kids

Nesting Gears

VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder

The fifth, is to check out the Plates o’ Rubber... worth the price for the number of stamps.  These are two of my favorites that I purchased last month! 

 Mary Vogel Lozinak Plate 1383

This is one of the latest Steampunk plates (#1378)!!!

The sixth way to make your stamp dollars go further 

is join the monthly challenge... 

there is still time this month.  

This month the theme is "BIRTHDAY" 

GO HERE to learn more!!!  

I almost forgot to mention FREE RUBBER!

Just post our Blinkie on your Blog or Website and get a FREE Grab Bag of Unmounted Rubber... details the VLVS! blog at http://vivalas.blogspot.com