Vacation in a Bottle

Happy New Release!  I am loving the new Artistic Outpost  Boardwalk plate.

My project features a mini-vacation in a bottle. I know I could use one of these!

I stamped the boardwalk image on misted tissue paper using black ink. I tore the edges and distressed them with a touch of brown dye ink.

I stamped the bathing beauties onto white cardstock using black ink. I cut them out using detail scissors. 

I painted a piece of white cardstock with lime green acrylic paint. I waited for it to dry and then I stamped the house using black ink and cut it out. I then stamped the sentiment on the same painted cardstock and cut it out to attach to the top of the bottle.

I stamped several of the shells on a pink and white painted background using black ink. I cut the shells out and attached them to the raffia at the top of the bottle.

I painted the cork in blue and white acrylic paints. I stamped the Atlantic City emblem and cut it out and attached it to the top of the bottle.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Suzz

Designer: Suzanne Czosek

Celebrate Summer with New Stamps and a Sale!

Introducing Boardwalk:

For the love of the Jersey Shore and Atlantic City's historic boardwalk, this stamp collection features a lovely ATC sized collage featuring Steel Pier, bathing beauties, a handsome gentleman, and other summertime elements. Collection available in both unmounted sheets of red rubber or precut and mounted on EZMount clingfoam.

And to celebrate the coming of summer days, save 15% off  all Artistic Outpost rubber stamps, through June 8th, 2013!  No coupon code required. Your discount will be reflected in your shopping cart. Stock up on some new designs and enjoy your summer!

Click here to shop our website!

Be sure to stop by the Designers Blogs for details on their projects!


Gerrie * Lisa * Suzanne * Tracy * Linda *Alison * Terry * Kate

Bird Song

Hello all, Alison here with a spring/summer tag to share with you.  I'm very happy with how it's captured those vivid greens you get at this time of year as the trees work their way towards their full summer glory.

It uses the lovely stamp from the Serenity set, and has one of my favourite sentiments on it.

Lots of inky loveliness for the background, and some background stamping using the music manuscript from the Ephemera Backgrounds with Olive Archival ink, and the flourish from the Serenity set stamped in distress paint.

I stamped the main image in Olive Archival and used Detail Clear powder to emboss it - it has such a lovely shimmer when the sun hits it!

I gathered lots of mulberry paper flowers, and die-cut the Memory Box treble clef out of a stamped tag I had lying around and had decided I didn't want to continue with. 

I hope that's given you a taste of summer - it's still being slightly reluctant round our way... though this afternoon (Sunday) was the first really lovely sunny one we've had, and I had to be indoors for four hours running a Shakespeare workshop - bah!

Hope you're getting to enjoy some sunshine, or at least some crafting wherever you are.  Don't forget there's still time to join in with the May Referral Program here at AO, and do stop by tomorrow (Wednesday!)... it's a big day here at AO, and you won't want to miss it!

Designer: Alison Bomber

Words and Pictures

If the Crown Fits

Good Morning  Kate here today, with a card I made using the Wonderland Collage stamp plate. I used a neutral color paper with a faded background to set the base for my card. I inked my clock stamp with blue ink and randomly stamped, creating my own subtle background. I then added bits of washi and tissue tape to the sides.  I sprayed blue and brown ink sprays in a few spots to add extra color.

My image was stamped and cut out and adhered on top of a Spellbinders die cut. Various pieces of patterned paper were border punched and layered. Lace, crocheted flowers and a sentiment finish off the card.

Designer - Kate Yetter

Fishing Trip

Hi there, Linda here with the tag I made for this month's blog hop.  The Keeper plate is one of my all-time Artistic Outpost favorites and I've always loved this vintage stamp of the young man showing off his catch.  The rest of the stamps used here are from the Route 66 plate.

I had the tag already stained left over from another project.  I used it to absorb left over stains in colors Peacock Feathers, Squeezed Lemonade and a bit of Mustard Seed.  I added some sponging to the edges, first with Vintage Photo and then with Jet Black archival.  Then, using black archival, I stamped the images from Route 66.  I used the Baroque die to cut the corrugated cardboard and sponged the edges with Vintage Photo and then with black archival.  Then it was coated with Clear Rock Candy distress crackle paint.

I copied the style of Tim Holtz's Enameled Tags and made my own for the Route 66 tag.  The tag was cut from white CS with the Tiny Tabs and Tags die.  I stamped the Route 66 in Jet Black archival and using a toothpick, I applied small dots and dashes and edged it with black paint dabber and when dry, I gave it two coats of UTEE.

The fish are a stamp from the Keeper plate.  I wanted them to be multi-colored the way fish really are so I took a piece of acrylic packaging and applied alcohol ink, colors Stream, Meadow and Ginger.  When dry, I flipped it over and stamped fish using Jet Black archival.  When the ink dried, I fussy cut them out, poked a tiny hole in the mouth area of each one and put them on my "stringer" which I attached with one of the tiny screw eyes from Idea-ology.

Here's what the alcohol inked acrylic sheet looked like before I stamped the fish on it.  I let each color dry before adding a new alcohol ink color.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Adventure Is Worthwhile In Itself

I have created a card using the vintage cabinet card die which I coloured with Distress Stains wild honey and walnut stain and then flicked with water. I created a dimensional pocket watch using the pocket watch frame die, coloured with walnut stain Distress Ink and stamped using parts of the stamps from the Charles and Amelia plate.

The image in the centre has been stamped with black Archival Ink and I have added some mini cogs, stamped with parts of the stamps within this set. I added the fabulous sentiment "Adventure is worthwhile in itself" to the centre. For further interest and dimension I also included some ball chain.

The interior of the card has been stamped with more images, I love the left hand side stamping the image twice, once in brown and once in black to give a shadow like appearance and I then stamped the sentiment over the top another of my favourite sentiments "Sprint towards your dreams, you might just take off and fly. I have added two metal keys for dimension along with a wooden arrow pointing to the sentiment. A small tag has been added with the word FLY added and touches of text.

I added PIONEER to the top of the card along with a mini pocket watch stamped with another of the fabulous images from the Charles and Amelia plate, again adding ball chain for further interest.

The back has also been decorated, stamping with black Archival Ink and adding a large brass key and small tag with a touch of stamping.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Designer: Tracy Evans

It's a Guy Thing - May DT Blog Hop

Welcome to the Artistic Outpost Design Team monthly Blog Hop! This month the designers are creating projects using Artistic Outpost plates with a Masculine theme.

Be sure to stop by the Designers Blogs for details on their projects!


Gerrie * Lisa * Suzanne * Tracy * Linda *Alison * Terry * Kate

Think and Wonder, Wonder and Think

Hello everyone, Alison here again with a brighter-than-usual contribution!

This layered tag started from a challenge to myself to play with contrasting colours.  I really enjoyed getting out some - for me - unusually bright colours and zinging them off one another.

I've used my probably my favourite AO set - Think and Wonder - and probably my favourite stamp of the three - the girl.

She's stamped on a background of wrinkle free distress technique using DIs in Picked Raspberry, Dried Marigold, Spun Sugar, Wild Honey, and maybe a couple of others!  I used the Harlequin stencil to add a bit more texture, as well as some additional stamping using stamps from the Whimsical Melange set.

I used Distress Paints to alter my metal elements, and then decided to create a framing tag, mainly in order to up the blue-green aspect of the tag.

I used Distress Paints and Stains and a stencil to create it... love the combination of opaque paints resisting the translucent inks.

Dyed crinkle ribbon with some curled Paper String finishes it off.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  We'd love to have you join in with the May Referral Program here at Artistic Outpost... any project with at least one AO image will qualify you for the prize draw at the end of the month.  See you again soon!

Designer: Alison Bomber
Words and Pictures

Friends 'til the End

Hello Artistic Outpost fans!  Lisa here, sharing a a Mixed Media Tag using the Gelli Arts Plate, and stamps from the  Artistic Outpost Think and Wonder and Typography plates.

After the Gelli Arts Background was created and dried, I used the Wet Embossing with Stencils Technique from Club CR8 to add the White Damask to the tag.


Be sure to stop by on Wednesday for the Artistic Outpost DT Monthly Blog Hop!   Designer - Lisa Somerville

Family Ties

The Generation Redux plate is a new acquisition of mine and I've had this idea for a family photo triptych for awhile.  I started with chipboard cut with the Arch Frame die and then swiped them with several coats of Picket Fence Distress Stain.   When dry, I stamped randomly with stamps from the set in Coffee archival and then sponged the edges with Vintage Photo DI.  The family photos were stamped with Coffee Archival and trimmed out with deckle cut scissors.  It's held together with the new Idea-ology hinges.  I colored the bronze filigree corners with silver alcohol ink fixative and then dry brushed then with just a touch of black acrylic paint to give them a more vintage feel.  The sentiment was created on my home computer and trimmed out by hand.  If you click on the photo it will open up large so you can see the details.  

That's it for me this week.  Hope you are having a great weekend.

Designer:  Linda Coughlin

The Funkie Junkie

Read All About It

Happy Friday! 

I am sharing a sneak peek of my project for the Artistic Outpost Blog Hop this month.  Come back on later this week for lovely inspiration from the DT and to see the rest of my project.

I am creating a special project intended to capture memories for someone who has a significant birthday coming up this week. 

I started with a set of tags and cut notebook paper to fit the size of the tags.  I used gold glimmer mist to stencil on a background and to add color to the tags.  I then stamped the words and image from the PaperBoy plate using black ink.  I colored the boy using a little touch of watercolor pencils and waterbrush. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Suzz


Designer: Suzanne Czosek

SOAR

I have again been inspired by the warm weather to create my Spring tag for Artistic Outpost.

The tag has been coloured with wild honey and walnut stain Distress Inks to give me those warm tones and spritzed with water to add further interest to the backdrop. I have used the Birds of a Feather plate to stamp the bird directly onto my tag with black Archival Ink.

I have used one of my favourite sentiments from the Quote and Quotables plate added to the top of my tag along with a mini tag stamped with 'spring is here' to add another layer of interest, combined with a wooden bird again coloured with Distress Inks.

A further tag has been added at an angle to the bottom of my tag, stamped with the background stamp from the Birds of a Feather plate along with a second mini tag stamped with 'SOAR' taken from another of the sentiments from the Quote and Quotables plate. I have also added some random stamping to the background and two more wooden birds for dimension.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Designer: Tracy Evans

Pretty In Pink!

Happy Wednesday to you all and I hope you are having a wonderful week!  With the upcoming "Mother's Day," I thought this card would be quite appropriate to share today.

The "sentiment" and "flapper" were stamped in black Archival and heat set.  The "flapper" was colored with Distress Inks and masked before the background stamping was done.  The butterflies were just punched from leftover background paper and edged in black.

A floral stamp from "Birds of A Feather" was inked with Spun Sugar and then Tattered Rose to create the background.  Splattered a little Spun Sugar Distress thinned with water for the sentiment background.

Thank you for visiting today and get those AO stamps all inky and join in the "May Referral Program."

Designer:  Terry Horrall
Terry's Work In Progress

Spice Girls

Hello everyone, Alison here... and I'm sorry about the post title - I'd have to say I'm probably what you'd call an "anti-fan" of the Spice Girls, but it was the obvious choice for this little canvas!

I've used the girls from the fabulous Paperboy set, and thought I would see if I could sweeten them up with some frilly prettiness... but at the centre you always have those strong, independent faces, taking us on, staring us down: a touch of spice at the heart of all the sugar.

They're stamped in Coffee Archival, and surrounded by pieces of vintage ephemera: the postcard stamp from the Ephemera Backgrounds set (with a genuinely vintage doily behind it)...

...the label from the Secretary Pool set...

... and all the way in the background, along with the Harlequin texture paste stencilling, crackle paint, gesso and gilding, you can see the floral flourish from the Serenity set, but minus the bird and (most of) the sentiment.

The paper flowers have been gesso'd and inked to within an inch of their lives, and the larger ones are mounted on metal filigree pieces.  Both the metal and the edges of the canvas have had a good swipe of White Fire Treasure Gold - thank you, sun, for shining at just the right moment!

There's a whole new Referral Program now up and running for May.  You can enter as long as you have at least one Artistic Outpost stamp on your creation.  For now, thank you so much for stopping by, and I'll see you again soon.

Designer: Alison Bomber

Words and Pictures

Precious Time

For this week's sample, I used the Generation Redux plate from Artistic Outpost as well as For Mother designer paper from Pion Design. The two women were stamped on white CS, masked and the music score from Ephemera Backgrounds was stamped over the piece and then the entire piece was sponged with Vintage Photo DI. The Pocket Watch die with the largest of the three Sized Circles Movers and Shapers dies in the center were used to cut three pieces of chipboard. The top layer for the set was run through the Springtime Backgrounds Texture Fade. The chipboard was then layered/glued together, painted with gesso and, when dry, sponged with Victorian Velvet DI. The leaves were cut from two different Sizzlet dies from white CS, dabbed with Bundled Sage DS and when dry, sponged with Vintage Photo DI.

I also made a little strip of paper lace using the Vintage Lace decorative strip die. It was also cut from white CS and sponged with Bundled Sage DI and edged with Vintage Photo DI. Because distress inks work as embossing ink too, I sprinkled some clear embossing powder on the strip, flicked it off and then heat embossed it. Resin flowers from The Funkie Junkie Boutique added as embellishments.

I wanted to have a sweet Mother's Day sentiment added so I created one on my computer and printed it out. It says Day in and Day out...Mother, I love you all the time! I used the Tiny Tabs and Tags die to cut it, stamped it in Coffee Archival Ink with the floral filigree stamp from the Artistic Outpost Serenity plate and then sponged it with Victorian Velvet DI. A small scrap of rayon seam binding dyed with a splatter of Tattered Rose DS, a pretty wooden button and a bow of burlap string topped off the tag. When I glued the pocket watch die cut to the card, I left a space with no glue so I could slide the tag in.

Bees Knees

Good Morning! This is Kate and today I am sharing a card I made for Mother’s day. It is quickly approaching so I decided to get a head start. I made about 10 of these cards for family.  I started off by distressing and inking the edges of all my layers. I stamped various stamps from the Ephemera Backgrounds stamp plate on my different sized layers. I added a few torn pieces of book paper over top and then glued down each layer. After adding the extra embellishments I used distress reinkers and a paintbrush loaded with water to drip various colors all over the card. I finished off  by stamping and cutting my main image from the Generation Redux stamp plate and the sentiment from the  Fashion Flapper stamp plate.

 

Thank you for joining us this Saturday!

 

Designer - Kate Yetter

SPRING IS HERE

I spent some time in the garden yesterday and the time out in the sunshine inspired my tag this week for Artistic Outpost using the fabulous BIRDS OF A FEATHER plate.

The background of my tag has been created using Distress Paints spiced marmalade, picked raspberry and spun sugar, I love these colours together.

I have staped the bird image with black Archival Ink and added some random stamping using the background stamp from the same plate.

Leaves have been added using a stencil and embossing paste for added texture and dimension along with a birdcage charm.

I have added some flowers and the sentiment 'Spring is here' from the same plate, edgeing the sentiment with black soot Distress Ink for definition.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Designer: Tracy Evans

Artistic Outpost May Referral Program

Welcome to the Artistic Outpost May Referral post! Our challenge for the month of May is Anything Goes using Artistic Outpost Stamps. Again, this months challenge has no theme, we'd just like to see your creations with Artistic Outpost stamps. This challenge will be open for the entire month, and you can enter as many times as you wish, provided you follow the challenge rules. The winner of the monthly Referral Program will receive an Artistic Outpost Prize Package!


To be eligible for the Artistic Outpost April Referral Program, please use Artistic Outpost images along with the challenge theme Anything Goes Artistic Outpost. When uploading your image to your blog or online gallery, be sure to include stamp credits with an active link to www.artisticoutpost.com then leave a direct link to your creation using Link Tool feature on the months Referral Program post here on the Artistic Outpost Blog to be entered into our monthly drawing. Please try to limit your projects to Artistic Outpost images only.

Note, links left here on the Artistic Outpost Blog need to include a direct link to the project you have uploaded. Projects can be posted on blogs or online galleries, but links left on the Referral Program post must be direct links to your projects. Links left with general links to galleries/albums/blogs will not qualify as our time is limited and we cannot search through pages of entries to see which upload uses Artistic Outpost images.

Please use this post to leave your links for May, all links must be posted by 5/31, 11:59PM CDT to be eligible for the May Referral Program. The winner will be chosen through a random drawing and will be posted here on the Artistic Outpost Blog, be sure to check back in June to see if you've won. Remember entries must be for the current month in which you are posting and must follow the challenge theme. We're looking forward to seeing your creations using Artistic Outpost images.

April Referral Winner

Thanks to those who played along with our April Referral Program - Anything Goes with Artistic Outpost stamps!  There were so many fabulous entries, we just love to see what you've been creating with our stamps!  Thank you all for your continued support of Artistic Outpost!


We had the random number generator select the April Winner....

Congratulations Kristina!  Please email me by May 15th, with your shipping information to claim your prize!

Watch for the May Referral Program to be posted shortly! 

Full Steam Scarecrow!

Not only is today Wednesday and my day to share, but it is the start of a brand new month and a brand new "Monthly Referral Program."  Plenty of time to join in and show off those fabulous AO stamps! 

This was my first attempt at a chunky ATC and I have to say that I had a blast from start to finish!  I applied white gesso to my sealed background, dried and then stamped a faint image of the "scarecrow," so I would have a smooth surface for the final stamped and cut image.  Modeling paste was applied and then when slightly dry, I pressed in images from the "Industrial Backgrounds" on both sides of the front.  Hit the raised areas with clear embossing ink and the clear embossed.  Once all my gears were glued down and dry, a covering of white gesso was applied.

This was then covered with a variety of Dylusions sprays and acrylic paints to my liking and then left to dry before highlighting with white gesso and then sealed.  The "scarecrow" was stamped with Coffee Archival and then colored with Distress Inks.  I felt he needed some rosy cheeks!

For the sides I attached film strip die cuts with a piece of thin packaging to cover the white embossed images on black card stock.

The wings were crackled and colored with Distress Stains.  Tim's embossed brick panel was applied and the sentiments were all stamped on tissue paper and then applied with Multi Medium Gel, which it all blended right into the brickwork. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful day!

Designer:  Terry Horrall
Terry's Work In Progress