March Artistic Outpost Releases

I am a long-time fan of Artistic Outpost images & am so excited to have the opportunity to Guest Design for their new March Releases.  These stamps are now available at the Artistic Outpost store. To celebrate this release, Artistic Outpost is featuring 15% off just about everything in their store (**Coupon code not good on EZMount products).   Just use coupon code: spring2010_15 at checkout, but hurry, this Coupon Code is only valid through March 31, 2010.

The first set is Lovely Day which is Inspired by the lovely country side of Holland.  This collection features a Dutch bicycle complete with basket; a windmill that looks almost like a photo, but lends itself to coloring nicely; and an adorable little girl who is cradling a bouquet of flowers in her hands. The entire collection includes 9 images including multi-use quotations and sentiments.

I think my favorite image on the plate is this wonderful bicycle with a basket.  I stamped it in Rose Chalk ink on a piece of vintage book page (I look for books that have the wonderful natural aging of the paper), adding some Prima Nursery Tales flowers to fill the basket.  I finished with Zva Creative Pearl Flourishes & the great sentiment from the set stamped in Chestnut Roan.

 
I also added a floral bouquet to the wonderful little girl image from the set.  I stamped her directly onto Cosmo Cricket Ever After papers.  I dyed vintage ivory ribbon with several different green and yellow spray inks to get the color to coordinate with the leaves.  To make the bow, I cut two equal-size pieces of lace, gathered each piece on one side, and adhered them to a large glue dot in the center.  I finished with a pearl button (inked with Tea Dye Distress ink) in the center that overlapped where the ribbon joined.

The second March release has a much more masculine flair.  SteamPunk is a fun and diverse collection that features 10 masculine, Victorian era images. These stamps will be perfect for an altered, grungy mixed-media piece or a simple Father Day card.

 
I had often seen the word SteamPunk used in design, but had to do some research to understand the origin. Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used — usually the 19th century, and often Victorian Era England — but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.   In art, you often see various utilitarian objects from the past modified with gears and wonderful moving pieces to give them a more modern aesthetic.

My first card was inspired by the overall Steampunk feel.  I started with a vintage mechanical drawing and stamped the hand and wheel from the stamp set as though it is moving around the circuit path.  I then added two of the sentiments from the set, lots of grungy sponging, and some metal (screw brad and clipiola) to finish the design.  It will be perfect for any one of the mechanically inclined men in my family.

 
I particularly love this set because my grandfather used to build miniature steam engines and attend a steam engine festival each year.  For my next card, I went with a more traditional theme with the set's fabulous train image stamped in black on ivory cardstock and clear embossed.  The designer papers are from the Graphic 45 Communique Collection.  To add some texture I incorporated black plastic cross-stitch canvas & some wonderful "ribbon" made from recycled vintage silk saris.

I'll continue to share more cards made with these awesome collections this week.  Make sure you check out the Design Team Members' Blogs for more inspiration: Robyn * Gerrie * Lisa * Cathy * Judy * Lynn * Robin * Shelly * Toni *