Viva Las Vegas Stamps Monthly Challenge - A Birthday Card for Terri Sproul

Here is the birthday card I made for Terri for the Viva Las Vegas Monthly Challenge.  I used the Steampunk Flying Machine image from  VLVS Plate 1376 to first stamp in black on the cardstock.  Then I stamped and cut out portions of that same image several times onto various pieces of steampunk printed cardstock. I used pop dots beneath the boat and balloon images to make them pop out in a 3D fashion.  Rock Candy Crackle Paint was used on the balloon of the Flying Machine.  I used a silver paint pen to color the pole and workings of the fan and propellers.  I used Couture Creations Ascension embossing folder on blue cardstock, sanded and cut out each image, then adhered to the bottom layer of cardstock.  I cut a slit in the VLVS Flying Machine image to insert part of the blue embossed balloon behind the stamped balloon image.  I also cut out a few more embossed images from the Ascension embossed paper and adhered, as shown.  I then used Jillibean Soup tiny alphabet stickers to spell out "Happy Birthday" and "24".  I stamped portions of the Hero Arts watch gears along the edges of a kraft card using Vintage Photo Distress Ink. At this point, I felt the card needed a little more, so I die cut some gears from Donna Salazar's Spellbinders Sprightly Sprockets die, and embossed each one with a copper and patina embossing powder before adhering to the card.  I used the punched out portion of one of the larger gears to decorate the large balloon.

Guest Designer and All Things Altered Blog Hop - "Sewing Bird" House

Here it is ... I call it my "Sewing Bird" House.

I covered a bare wooden bird house with DCWV self-adhesive fabric paper (blue collection), then cut three gears from handmade copper-colored paper using the Spellbinders Sprightly Sprockets die, toning down the copper color with a wash of Walnut Stain Distress Stain. When dry, I adhered the gears around each opening in the bird house.  Next, I hammered the metal roof on the inside, then applied Baroque Art Gilder's Paste (copper, rust, and verdigris) to the outside.  Before reattaching the roof to the bird house, I punched a small hole in each crease and inserted Tim Holtz Ideaology antique gold chain through it.  I ran two sizes of Graphic 45 metal butterflies through a Vintaj Deco Motif embossing folder, applied copper Gilder's Paste and Vintaj Patinas in blue and green before adhering to top of roof.  I used Tim Holtz Sizzix mini dress form and thread spool movers and shapers die to cut them from real wood paper, then adhered another matching piece of DCWV fabric paper to the dress form.  Next, I wrapped floss around the thread spool and waist of the dress form and adhered both to the base of the house, along with some Tim Coffey (K & Company) and Prima flowers.  I also used the copper paste to color the vintage (replica) sewing bird.  It was a bright, brassy gold color.  I finished the bird house off with a few sewing-themed embellishments.  Look closely at the scissors in the lower left ... they are etched with a cute little squirrel, who appears to be watching the sewing bird above.  The scissors are also a replica, but I can always remove them to use, if I choose to.


In case you are unfamiliar with sewing birds, I am including a picture of one below.  It was used as a "third" hand.  By clamping the "bird" onto a nearby table, you would  insert your fabric into the mouth of the bird, and holding the fabric taught with your left hand, you could then continue working with your needle in your right hand, and vice versa, of course, if you are left-handed.

This particular sewing bird is a replica of an antique sewing bird, and I was able to find it inexpensively at Lacis.com.  It was blemished, so I purchased it for a "song", and I'm still looking to find what is wrong with it.  Being inexpensive, and not an actual antique, I was able to allow myself to alter it without a sense of destruction to an otherwise beautiful Victorian tool. 

The All Things Altered Blog Hop is hosted by Pam Bray, so you will want to visit her blog Scrapbook Flair to start hopping in the right direction.  There you will find the links to the many talented artists participating in the blog hop.  Enjoy your hop, and thanks for stopping by.

A New Look

I know I should be working on my projects for my blog hops, but I could not resist playing around with the blog backgrounds I found on Shabby Blogs. I am partial to Victorian and birds, and there they were.  All of the backgrounds and tutorials are free.  What a blessing for someone as computer-illiterate as I am.

Upcoming Events

I can hardly believe that nearly a month has gone by, and I have not posted anything. Shame on me. But we have had an early spring, and with it came pollen, and lots of it. Need I say more? I seem to be over the worst of it, for the time being, and so I wanted to update you on what's coming this week. I have been working feverishly on my first submission for my first blog hop later this week. It is an altered art blog hop, hosted by Pam Bray, who kindly invited me to be a guest artist. I am so excited to be participating, and would like to invite you all to stop back by my blog on Thursday, 22 March. I will also post a link to her blog hop then.