Hippy Easter

Hi everyone! This is my first blog post for Viva Las Vegastamps! I am very excited to be part of this team. Viva Las Vegastamps! was one of the first companies I fell in love with when I first started getting into rubber stamping many many years ago.


My first project is a little Easter greeting. I know Easter is over, but I had to make something when I saw the Easter stamp I got in my pound of rubber.

I used a coaster that was from the $1 area at Micheal's that I had in my stash. I have been trying to use up my stash(stamps excluded :P). I made my own background paper with craft paints and a Dollie shaped as an egg shape that I sprayed with some of my sprays. I used Miracle tape to adhere the paper to the coaster. White glue will not work, it came off after the coaster once the glue dried. I stamped the Easter Hippo Coloring Eggs on white cardstock, and colored it with prisma's colored pencils. attached it with Miracle tape to the coaster. 


It still needed something, and I needed to cover a tiny bit of the corner that didn't get cover with the paper. I had recently learned how to make cabbage roses And I thought they would be kinda cool on the piece. I was raked die cut  of the Tattered floral dies and had some extras to make some more. I made 3 sizes for this one. and I hot glued them to a Crystal spray. 

Don't forget to check out the Viva Las Vegastamps! blog. where there are new blog post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 


And there is a monthly card challenge where you can win $25 to shop at their store! That can buy you a pound of rubber! :) The theme for April is "Earth day" Just make a card using Viva Las Vegastamps! and post it to your blog then go to our blog to the tap where it says monthly challenge and link your blog post of the card to our blog. :)

Secert Sister box swap #2

The 1st secret sister box swap wasn't even over with before sign-ups for round two were up. Of course I signed up for round 2! :) The person I had for Secret Sister was Martha, Seeking for art. and let me tell you I freaked out a bit when I saw I had her. I was so stressed. :P She is an amazing artist, and I'm....well getting better everyday. :P So here are some of the things I made for her. I did give her some stuff in my stash that I thought she would like to alter(tins) and play with. She LOVED everything! not the wait for my ss box! :)

the card i made

 outside of the file folder holding atc and postcards starters

 inside folder

 more pics of the outside

 the starters postcards. did melted crayons

 atcs

 postcard i made

 art doll

 atcs i made

 The box!!!!

I made it I made it!

If you remember a few blog post past on a card for the Design Team try out for Viva Las Vegastamps! Well I'm am happy to tell you that I am made the cut! The 3rd time is the charm! and to think i wasn't going to try out again this round. I'm nerves and excited about this new adventure. Click on the blue to see the rest of the team members.

Here is a quick little card I made. I used a piece from the Retro Collage by recollections. I stamped the Poodle glasses  in  black versafine ink pad. colored with colored pencils. on white cardstock backed with black cardstock. attached everything With Miracle tape.

Playing with Alcohol inks on photo paper

A few weeks ago I wanted to see how clear embossing resist would work with alcohol inks. I had some backgrounds that I have done on photo paper months ago. The first one I did I used the Umbrella man from the clear stamp set I have from Tim Holt. Stamped him in clear ink pad and embossed with clear UTEE. It did bubble up a bit bit not too bad, and I could cover.I used my brayer with black memento ink pad and brayered over it. I took a baby wipe the black ink off the embossed image. Then I noticed that some alcohol ink was coming up too. I was like hmmm. wiped up a little more. The I took some yellow home made spray that was yellow and smooshed it around the atc with my finger. It was a bit sticky due to whatever is on the photo paper, but as it dries it will no longer be sticky. It looked really cool! I then stamped the sentiment that goes with umbrella man. spread the paper with some yellow and blue to match.

The middle atc was the first one I did as described above.

Then I wanted to play some more. I took a bunch of backgrounds I made and stamped them with different stamps from that set. the 2 on either side I used the clock. Basically did the same as described as above but this time I took off a lot more acohol ink off. Sprayed with a bunch on Lindy's sprays . The one on the left I used the ticket stamp. And stamped umbrella man on white cardstock and sprayed with magenta homemade spray and yellow spray to try and match the colors of the atc. that one isn't done yet. The one on the right I stamped the birds on a wire. I stamped umbrella man again on white card stock and sprayed with colors to match the atc background. Cut him out and glued him down and stamped the sentiment then sprayed it to match the atc.

Viva Las Vegas DT tryout

I am once again trying out for the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team. You can check their blog here

This card kinda evolved quickly. The background is the technique Tim Holtz did during the 12 tags of Chirstmas. I've done this technique before, as you saw in other blog posts. Its a fun one.

I put some metal tape on a peice of paper which is 4 x6, as this was going to a postcard for Darcy's postcard challenge, if the one I was doing doing go right. Well 2nd postcard I was working on, as the 1st one bombed.  Not wanting to waste it I deiced to play.

I used 4 different craft paints. Neon pink,  hot pink by Craft Smart; hot pink by folk art, and Brilliant Magenta Matt Acrylic by Blick's. After it dried I sanded it. I then used Black Soot distress ink over it. and poured clear UTEE over it and zapped the heat gun.

I then looked around my desk and saw a picture I printed of me when I was a baby wearing a Micky Mouse hat. I knew I had this stamp by VLVS that would go good with it. I went and grabbed that stamp. stamped it on white card stock in the black soot distress ink pad, because it was handy. lol I cut out the photo and went over the edges in black soot. attached the photo with foam tape. did the same with the sentiment.  It needed something else, I knew I had smaller pics of the same photo. Cut 2 out and also cut a different one I have. edge all in black soot. glued one of the ones like the big picture, and then put foam tape on the other one over that one. the other picayune I put glue on one part and foam tape on the other.

Mounted it with black card stock and then matted that on a white cardstock base.  I kinda like it. :)

Thanks for looking.

Secert Sister box swap goodies I made for my partner

Mid week last week I think it was we were all watching Laurel doing an impromptu ustream where she was altering a cricut cartage box. Some how along the way a secret sister box swap was born. I went back and for about joining, my deal was postage, but I dove in and joined the swap. it was a quick deadline to join the swap.

The details of the swap was to decorate a box ( you can either make a box or use one you have) and then fill it with handmade stuff or stuff in your stash. NO BUYING!

We got our swap partners on late Friday night. :P and of course the little over achiever that I am (funny i was never one in school LOL) I did most of my crafting all day Saturday and some on Sunday too. Some things in the box that were hand made were made way before this swap even excited, and needed a home. I mailed it off on Tuesday( I would of mailed if off Monday, but time got away from me. :P)and everyone is mad at me for finishing so fast. :P My partner got it today (as of this post writing its Thursday March 1st). So the video is uploading on you tube and I am writing this blog post. :) and everything is UIU!  =D

I did not make the box. It would not be pretty and frustrating if I did. lol The box is a candy box that is about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. give or take a quarter inch. I used the breath paper collection by Prima. Top of the box I smashed some bottle caps and glued in 2 pics from back of a calender in them. The flourishes are grundge board elements dots. painted in 2 greens. The domino I made way before the swap.

I made a couple of domino's. One I turned into a pendant, the stamp I got as a freebie from custom crops. The other domino the stamp is by Stamp Clinic.

I made a tag. The paper is Retro Mod stack by DCWV. The images are by bugaboo digis. I added lace I had gotten from thrift store at the bottom. And the ribbon at top i got from Dar in a RAK and I colored it with Rudolf Nose Red and Bucket O Blood Red by Lindy's.

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I made 2 altered CD's. the first one I used the Retro Mod stack by DCWV and I used a digi stamp from Meljen's designs. The 2nd CD I just used some pages Restoration Hardware catalog and stamped some gears with gear dies cut from foam.

I made a little envelope mini useing the stack the deck binding. I made the envelopes with papers I got from Felicia in a rak and used the Create a lope envelope templates. I gave her 6 other envelopes in brown tones and made her another mini one in red that I did not take pictures of.

I made a 5 x 7 canvas. I did a base layer of red. added some music paper and tissue paper. then a layer of green craft paint. then more tissue paper, and some water down black craft paint. then I covered all the layers up with adding the images on it. lol. The baby is from a calender, the flower and licence plate is scrapbook paper scraps. The tree is a chipboard die cut resist from Hampton art that i used distress inks on it.

And the last thing I made was this book. I saw it in an old scrapbook magazine. I looked at it and was like I can do that. So I did. I used 8 coffee filers and sprayed them with various lindy sprays and other sprays. Papers for the covers are from Breath collection by Prima again. Also for the cover I used some lace that was dyed with dark chocolate truffle starburst stain by lindy's and a sticker lace. and I used some stickers that were in my sticker stash, that I stuck on card stock and cut out and used foam tape on them. Glued 2 coffee filters to each of the inside covers. Then a strip of glue in the middle of the filter.

Vampire book list

Vampire book list

I've been meaning to do this post for a while, didn't feel up to doing it. But after doing the last blog post on the scrapbooking and rubber stamping books that I've have read(which probably are all that are out there...so far), I thought I do a post on the Vampire books well authors that I have read and are on my wish list. It will be interesting to see how many different series that I have read and want to read. The one series you will not see on my list is Twilight. I tried to read the 1st book, but could not get into it.

The first on the list has to be of course the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. If you only have seen the series True Blood, you have to read the books. The books are totally different than the series. As much as I like the series, I love the books more. Though there were times that I was kinda mad at the author at certain points in the series. I ♥♥ Eric! :)

Undead Betsy series by MaryJanice Davdison. Fun series to read. You may notice that most of the books do tend to have a humor touch to them.

Argenueau &Rouge Hunter sereis by Lynsay Sands. When she first came out with the series the first book was "Single White Vampire". But that is really the 3rd book in the series. Her Publisher at the time like that book for the start of the series. The first book in the series is really "A Quick Bite".

Dead End Dateing series by Kimberly Raye.

Love at Steak Series by Kerrelyn Sparks. Its a good series, but I haven't kept up with it. :(

Broken Hart series by Michele R. Bradsley. fun series. It is a little romance, course what book doesn't have some romance in it. But again there is humor in it.

Glory St. Claire by Gerry Bartlett.

Imortality Bite series by Michelle Rowen There is only 5 books to the series. but fun.

Blood books (Blood ties tv series) Tonya Huff.

The Hollows series by Kim Harrison

The Dark Ones series by Katie MacAlister

Simon Kirby-Jones mystery series by Dean James.
Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton. A friend introduced me to the series way back when. I've read them for I don't remember how long, but I lost interest in the series.

Then there are some anthologies that I've read like
BeWitched Bothered & Bevampured, Many Bloody Returns, Dates from Hell, and Bite

New series/authors on my wish list to give a try are:
Nathaniel Cade series by Christopher Farnsworth  (the 2 books that are so far in the series are now in my to be read pile as I got them Tuesday at a Borders at 90% before that Borders sold out of books and closed on Wednesday)
Chicagoland Vampire by Chloe Neill
Vampire Chef  Sarah Zettel This one is a new series that just coming out

So there is my list. I have a lot there, I know there is a lot more out there, but these are just the ones I know about.