Viva Las VegaStamps! DT Tryout

Viva Las Vegas Stamps is having a design team call, and I am trying out for their design team.  Since VLVS has been a long-time favorite stamp company of mine, I am so excited to have this opportunity.   Below are three project submissions for consideration. 

My first piece is a mini accordion fold album that I made using Stampbord, also known as Claybord.  

I stamped Sandra Strait's Tangle image from Plate 1425 onto the claybord in black archival ink.  I then used Tim Holtz Distress Inks to blend colors over the stamped image.

It is very important to let the ink dry before proceeding to the next step, which is the scratching technique.  I used the scratch knife and a texture brush to highlight selected areas by removing some of the color, as shown below.

I then used a smaller foam brush tool to pick up some more of the Distress Ink colors and add some color back in certain places.  I used a scroll saw to cut my piece to size, then sanded the edges and gave it a nice coating of spray gloss sealer.  As you can see, the colors now pop right off of the claybord, and the areas that have been "scratched" are now almost pearlescent and give a dimension that I can only hope the camera picks up. 

 To put it all together, I also added a vintage ruler to the left edge, then turned to my favorite adhesive, Miracle Tape, to adhere the inner pages to the covers.    I really love the way this turned out.  

My next project piece is a tag that I made using some more of the wonderful VLVS images, this time from their steampunk Plate 1394.  I first used the Tim Holtz Distress Inks with a blending tool to put color down on the tag.  I used Tim's water-flicking technique to make the water spots on the tag, which I thought would be appropriate for an underwater scene.  Then I stamped the Steampunk Octopus in black archival ink and punched tiny holes in the helmet to add mini brads.  I colored the image with a silver metallic pencil. 

On a separate sheet of printed cardstock, I stamped the Steampunk Mermaid from Plate 1394 in black archival ink, added a tiny bit of the same Distress Ink colors used in the tag background, and then colored the gears in her dress and hair with the same silver metallic pencil. I then applied a thin coating of Rock Candy Distress Stickles to the entire mermaid image to make her look wet and glimmery.   I cut the mermaid out and adhered her to the tag with foam dots for a bit of dimension.

I stamped the gears border randomly along the tag edges in a light color of Distress Ink (Bundled Sage) and added some mica chips along the bottom to imitate the glimmery bottom of the ocean. 

To make the water bubbles, I simply laid three jump rings down on the tag and filled each with Diamond Stickles.  I love this burlap ribbon I just found, and I thought it went nicely with the seascape theme.  I used a trinket pin and a tiny round charm to glue a tiny seashell on top and attach to the ribbon.

My third project is a card I made using some of the new stamps from Mary Vogel Lozinak.  I am so in love with these stamps.  They are quirky and fun, and full of steampunkishness.  I simply cannot get enough of them.  When I made this card, all I could think of was the Credence Clearwater song,  "Proud Mary", as in Mary Vogel Lozinak, and the gears are the big wheels that keep on turning.  I colored three of MVL's Steampunk Woman's Head image from Plate 1400 using the distress markers in two colors to match the paper.  After cutting them out, I used foam dots for dimension and layered them on top of two nested labels cut from a Spellbinders die.  I also used a Spellbinders die to cut out gears and cogs from some of the printed papers, adding some spinners for fun.  Tiny alphabet stickers were used to spell out the phrase.  

I hope you have enjoyed viewing my projects as much as I have enjoyed making them.  In the meantime, you really should go check out all of the wonderful stamps that VLVS carries, as well as their miracle tape in many sizes, and Terri Sproul's Mixers and 3-D Crystal Lacquer, to name just a few.   

VLVS Products Used (click on link below each image to go directly to VLVS):

Plate 1425

Tangle

Plate 1394

Steampunk Octopus

Steampunk Mermaid

Gear Corner

Women Want Me

Plate 1400

Steampunk Woman's Head

Thanks so very much for stopping by, and have an enjoyable and creative week. 

Barbara