Viva Las VegaStamps! DT TRYOUT...

Today I am throwing my hat in the ring to reapply to the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team! So I'm sharing some of my favorite stamped projects that I think best represent me and my style. 

I never really considered myself a "Stamper" - but I think my muse is quite happy with her inky stained hands. Since this will be my third go round applying to artistically represent Viva Las VegaStamps!... I think this photo says it all! Yep! I guess I am a stamper.

This is me holding my dandelion stamp {immortalized via iPhone by the amazing Ms. DeeDee } at Viva Las VegaStamps!!!! I went there with my loving husband on a weekend getaway back on April 4th, and he was conveniently sick - so I got to spend two afternoons at the store. If I had a sonic screwdriver, I think I would have miniaturized myself and made a fort from the mounted stamps. You could be in the store for a month and not see everything. Funniest thing... this stamp remains PRISTINE and un-inked... and I have another on plate 918, too {that is uncut and uninked}!

I am stranded in South Florida waiting for my Man in a Blue Box to take me back home to my "Sweet Home Chicago..." but I'll settle for a Virgin America plane ticket!

Rubber stamps are the CHAMELEON of my mixed media toolbox. In this "Self Portrait - Caution: Artist at Work" tag, stamped images are the accents to my photo image transfer. Stamps provide texture, pattern and even words...or even that touch of whimsy.

I love the versatility of stamps. You can take a blank piece of paper and create something from nothing. This art journal page has 4 stamps, and with mists, markers and ink... Jaws totally leaps off the page. 

   

I have quite the stash of rubber from VLVS! and I love combining stamps together into interesting scenes... for any kind on all kinds of projects - from tags and A.T.C.'s to cards and altered projects. Many times the image itself strikes the idea and sends me off and running... for all the tools in the craft room ESPECIALLY a fistful of stamps and some ink! It was really hard to only share JUST three - but I couldn't decide. Each creation is special and unique in their own way and I love them ALL! 

BEST PART... You can apply, too!

FYI!!! May 30th is the DEADLINE to apply to the Viva Las VegaStamps! Design Team Call!! They're looking for all types of artists and welcome anyone who has a passion for rubber stamping to apply! Bring on the Mixed Media Artists, the Card Makers, the Scrapbookers, the Altered Artists, the Scene Stampers… this MEAN YOU!! International welcome to apply, too! CLICK HERE for DETAILS. Step out of your comfort zone - it doesn't hurt to try...Just DO it!

Have a great evening... when I get out of work - I'm heading home to get inky!!! Sb :)

THANK YOU! Operation Write Home's 2013 Memorial Day Bloghop

Hi everybody! It's that time of year again... time for the the Operation Write Home Annual Memorial Day Weekend Bloghop. I am thrilled to be participating and saying "THANKS" to all our men and women {past and present}, serving in our armed forces. I have family members in the Army and in the National Guard so this day is near and dear to our hearts. Click the image below to jump back to the beginning of the bloghop at Operation Write Home.

I have created this card using a "tweek" to sketch #25... just one of Operation Write Home's fabulous sketches. On a hand-painted paper, I used an Inkadinkado "thank you" clear cling stamp combined with a scene stamped using floral and bee stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps!; both stamped in brown Steward Superior Memories Dye ink; and then cut into this window frame background. Flower petals accented with Picket Fence Ranger Distress marker.

My sister Andrea {pictured on left} with her comrades headed out

to a field exercise on Schofield Barracks, in Hawaii.

My baby sister, PFC Cassidy will be reaching the end of her six years in the Army National Guard where she has served for the states of Florida, Hawaii and currently in Washington State at Camp Murray. Her husband is currently stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA.  She is finishing up her Master's Degree this year and will continue on with her dream to become a doctor. I am so PROUD!

Thanks for stopping by and Have a wonderful Memorial Day!  :) Sb

What's a Party Without Cake? Inspiration Week with Viva Las VegaStamps! and Helmar!

It's Friday and TODAY is the last day of the week-long party with the Viva Las VegaStamps! and Helmar design teams. Since we are having a party... how about some cake? A pretty pink paper cake. I am about greencrafting and this paper cake is no exception. I know it's Pink... it happened to be the ruling color by my paper scraps and recycled colored tissue paper. This is one occasion that I can live without all things "PURPLE".

 

The center of this cake is recycled ribbon spools collaged with paper and tissue, then stamped with inky goodness. Topped with luscious ribbon trims for the icing. Helmar adhesives made this project quick and easy... my cake came together lickety-split.

I used 5 Helmar adhesives...YES FIVE! To start I adhered recycled ribbon spools together with Helmar 450; then mounted base papers to spools using Helmar Craft and Hobby PVA Glue; collaged layers of recycled colored tissue papers to forms using Helmar Découpage and Craft Paste; adhered all ribbon using Helmar Fabric Glue {I LOVE THIS... it doesn't discolor the ribbon or show through the sheer organza type either!}; and lastly, gave dimension to the party cat cake topper with Helmar Scrap Dots... and Scrap Dots are a MUST HAVE, no more cutting double stick foam tape for me!!!

The base of the cake is finished off with

a hand-stamped doily detail, too!

Stamps used: Cat Jumping Out Of Cake #12072, Party Streamers #130, Washi Lines Background #19073, Large Doily #18847, and Celebrate #12390.

Hop on over to the Viva Las VegaStamps! Blog to check out Hermine's fabulous piece today, the entire week of inspiration, then jump on over to see the inspiration over at the Helmar Blog, too! This is a perfect way to get the creative juices going for the long holiday weekend - enjoy!!!  :) Sb

Mini Book Necklace for Anything But a Card Challenges No. 19 "Color Challenge"

Whoa! It's Thursday??? Well, I've finally got it done - a brand new pretty to wear and I learned a new technique in the process for this project I made for Anything But a Card Challenge 19 "COLOR INSPIRATION".  This is week two of the challenge. Please click here to head on over to ABAC and see what the second half of our amazing design team has created with these luscious colors.

Are you ready to CREATE and play along??? Please click here to link up your creations! There's still time before the new challenge begins on May 26th. REMEMBER this challenge blog is ANYTHING and EVERYTHING... except for Cards. ATC's aren't cards...so please link up your ATC's too!!!

Anything But a Card Challenge 19 is a "COLOR CHALLENGE": Use the color palette below as your inspiration! You can use two, three, or all five of the colors. Summer arrived months ago in South Flordia and these yummy colors remind me of all the flavors of sherbert at the ice cream shoppe. The possibilites are endless and the theme is open.

Your challenge is to use this color palette...

Here's my lovely altered mini-book charm
necklace I made for this challenge...

I am part of a monthly A.R.T. Club that meets the third Sunday each month. It's really fun and I enjoy the relaxation of just playing. Each month, a member shares a technique or project for the group to make and this mini book charm was this month's project.

I knew I had plenty of goodies in the colors needed for this challenge, so I gathered up book pages leftover from cutting an altered book void, some ribbon scraps, a handful of glass beads and my chalk and alcohol inks and hit the road to the meet-up. The technique was embossing metal sheets and coloring with alcohol inks to patina. I've done the patina with the inks, but I've never embossed metal sheets in my embossing folders in the Cuttlebug {except for aluminum tape paper}. I was surprised at the fabulous results. To make a charm like this you really need the strength of a thin metal to be durable enough to wear on a chain - and it was nice I didn't need to mess around with setting an eyelet. This is a perfect greencrafting project and makes a great gift, too!

I hope you are inspired to play along - I can't see what you create! See you tomorrow with my fabulous creation for the Viva Las VegaStamps! and Helmar Inspiration Week!

 :) Sb

May 25th Save the Date!!! Operation Write Home's Memorial Day Bloghop

Hi everybody! It's that time of year again... time for the most important and largest bloghop of the year - the Operation Write Home Annual Memorial Day Weekend Bloghop. I will be participating here, and with a couple of my creative pals on other blogs in saying "THANKS" to all our men and women {past and present}, serving in our armed forces. If you want to sign up to participate it's not too late... CLICK HERE or click the image below to go to the signup page. 

See you Saturday!   :) Sb

Inchie Stamps Create Faux Window Card for Unscripted Sketches #211

Welcome to Sketch-It Saturday with Unscripted Sketches! Today I made a quick card using some leftover scraps paired with some Inkadinkado clear inchie stamps for this week's Unscripted Sketches sketch #211.

I have been a little overbooked the past several weeks, but my projects for Unscripted Sketches have been piling up in the get finished and blogged file. Now that I've got my schedule down to a new routine with running the Amazing Crafting Products Creative Team, heading the Anything But A Card Challenges Blog, and helping out as co-admin for Unscripted Sketches... I'm getting back to the FUN part - CREATING!

This card went together pretty easy with some coordinating solid and patterned paper scraps and one stamped image. I have a couple sets of Inkadinkado inchie stamps - so I took six inchie stamps and arranged them like a window frame, stamped in green pigment ink and embossed with clear embossing powder. I finished off the corners with creme photo corners to balance the layered die-cut butterfly {I don't know the make since I received it in a goodie swap}. This card is 5" x 7" and is perfect for a handwritten note card.

What is Sketch it Saturdays at Unscripted Sketches? Every Saturday morning a new sketch is posted for the week. Flip the sketch, rotate it… create a card, a scrapbook page, a wall hanging, digital, paper, fabric, paint, anything your imagination comes up with! There is no right or wrong way, as long as you are using the Unscripted sketch as the inspiration for your creation! And everyone is invited to join in the fun... and post your creation on their page via inlinkz for all the world to see!

Thanks for stopping by!!! See you tomorrow with my Anything But A Card Challenges project for Challenge #19. 

: ) Sb

Am I a Fan of AMAZING Mold Putty... A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-LY!!!!

I am TOTALLY a Fan... and now I'm the QUEEN of the Castle, too! You may have noticed, I haven't been posting quite as much lately... but I've been quite the busy bee. Last month I became the Creative Team Coordinator of the "BRAND NEW" Amazing Crafting Products Creative Team. I'm still creating, and I have a new hat to wear, which includes selecting the fabulous talent that is featured on our new INSPIRATION BLOG. CLICK HERE to check out what's new and AMAZING!

About the photo: I created a mold from a house-shaped frame {that came from an old embroidery kit} using Amazing Mold Putty, then cast in Amazing Casting Resin colored with Gold Alumilite Metallic Powder to create this Little House Shrine embellished with patterned paper and ephemera. Paper shown in this curio is from Bo Bunny's new C'est La Vie line. The mini white domino inside the house is also molded with Amazing Mold Putty and cast in Amazing Casting Resin.

We are having an A-MAY-ZING month and we are inviting our fans to join in on the fun, too! Today is Featured FAN-DAY over at Amazing Mold Putty.

If you are a proud fan of

Amazing Crafting Products...

WE WANT YOU!!!

This is your chance to have your work showcased...

What have you created

with Amazing Crafting Products?

If you want to be one of our "Featured Fans" – please send us your BEST photo of a project made using Amazing Mold Putty, Amazing Casting Resin or Amazing Clear Cast Resin TODAY by 6pm EST {Eastern Standard Time} to:

Please include one AMAZING photo {and a detail if needed}, your info, blog link and a brief paragraph explanation – you may be featured on our blog for all the world to see TODAY!!!

...........................................

Do you love to create and work in 3D? Are you imaginative and think out of the box? Can you take crisp, clear yummy and enticing photos of your work? Then you could be one of our next group of "AMAZING" Guest Designers on the Amazing Crafting Products Creative Team. CLICK HERE for more details!

...........................................

Happy Thursday :) Sb

Use a Color Palette for Anything But a Card Challenges No. 19

Hello! Happy Mother's Day to everyone! I'm so excited to for this new Anything But a Card Challenge... Number 19 is a "COLOR PALETTE" inspiration. Please scroll down to see the color palette of 5 colors - that instantly make me think about all the beautiful architectural inspiration with these colors right in my backyard {well down the road a just a little}.

Photo by VilleV at Art Deco weekend at Ocean Drive, Miami Beach

There's two weeks to play along and link up via inlinkz froggy. Anything But a Card Challenges is a bi-weekly challenge and today, begins a new challenge. Our wonderful Design Team showcases Challenge 19 "COLOR PALETTE" inspired projects today. Please click here to head on over to ABAC and see all the fantastic projects shared by the design team AND submissions by all of you. I will have a project featured next Sunday for week two of the challenge.

REMEMBER this challenge blog is ANYTHING and EVERYTHING... except for Cards. ATC's aren't greeting cards...so please link up your ATC's!!!

Anything But a Card Challenge 19 is a "COLOR CHALLENGE": Use the color palette below as your inspiration! You can use two, three, or all five of the colors. These colors remind me of the Art Deco district in Miami Beach, Florida. The possibilites are endless and the theme is open.

Your challenge to use this color palette...

I hope you are inspired to play along and I can't see what you create! Have a very Happy Mother's Day!!! :) Sb

Destination Unknown... By Land, Air or Sea – Steampunk Inspired Transportation Blog Hop

To view last month's Earth Day Bloghop please click here!

Welcome to my stop on LeslieRahye's Steampunk inspired transportation Bloghop coinciding with National Transportation Month and Train Day! This bloghop is ALL about things that go... by land, by air or sea...with a steampunk twist of course!

Since I have been in ATC-la-la land for two weeks now for the current Anything But a Card Challenges - Challenge No. 18 - ATC's {artist trading cards}... I figured this would be the perfect medium for this theme. Though I am totally head over heals for Steampunk - it's such a wide spanning genre. For this special transportation themed hop, I thought I would skew a bit to the Victorian side and set my world traveller off on a train journey cross country... where she'll stop - only she knows! 

I created this ATC based around this vintage image of a Victorian girl boarding a train for a "destination unknown". I've been having fun dragging out my hoards of stamps to collage on my mini masterpieces. One of my favorites is this scrollwork question mark that I made the spot with a postal code stamp. I added two vintage postage stamps to the top corner and overstamped another postal code. I wanted to get the feel of a real vintage postcard. I didn't forget the bling - I edged the entire card with a gold Krylon pen. It was hard to not junk it up with gears - but there is a different story being told here :)

This is the backside of my ATC with my signature and info for swapping. I made this look like a vintage mini postcard using a few stamps and old paper distress ink and an epoxy stamp sticker for faux postage. The thing that's fun about making ATC's is that you can decorate the front and the back with the theme - or completely different! My apologies for blurring out my email addy and personal address to keep it away from the pesky spambots.

Please scroll down to click on the squares below to continue to all the fantastic artists on the hop...and enjoy the ride! Sb

A 3-Ring Circus Explodes from an A.T.C. for Anything But a Card Challenges No. 18

Happy CINCO de MAYO!!! I hope you are enjoying your weekend and taking some time to get cre8tive. This is week two of Anything But a Card Challenges... Number 18 that dedicated to "A.T.C.'s" { artist trading cards}. This format is one that I have been creating and trading for many years and once you start making these... you just can't stop!

Today I am sharing this A.T.C. that is a little interactive. If you know me... I'm a fan of the arts of origami and kusadama and LOVE things that fold up, pop-up and explode. And this is my pocket 3-ring Circus - just remove the outer band... and the show begins {insert ringmaster announcer here}!!! A few stamped images, some gorgeous G45 paper and a little glitter... Ta-DA!!!

There's two weeks to play along and link up via inlinkz froggy. Anything But a Card Challenges is a bi-weekly challenge and today, begins week 2 of our challenge. Our wonderful Design Team showcases NEW "A.T.C" projects today. Please click here to head on over to ABAC and more ATC's shared by the design team AND submissions by all of you. REMEMBER - THIS CHALLENGE IS ONLY A.T.C.'s.

Now on with the SHOW!

Presenting an

"sbartist ORIGINAL explosion A.T.C."!

The fringe ticket banding is removed, exposing the front cover {an ATC adhered using my Xyron 5" sticker maker - makes assembly quick and easy}. Ribbon tabs created by running through my Xyron "X" sticker maker, folding over on itself and sandwiching between the layers.

This is the back cover. The thing about Graphic 45 papers is that they are so lovely and it's really hard to bring myself to cut them up... 

 

so with some creative folding - this A.T.C. is "bigger on the inside"!

And now I'm off to PLAY...

I hope you are inspired to play along and try your hand at some artist trading cards! I created a masterboard made from paper scraps on my table last weekend during my Saturday Crafts Fair demo that is evolving into a lovely set of ten ATC's. I'm so excited to be making these mini masterpieces!!! :) Sb