Bottle Cap Art Doll

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Hello all, Roni here with my first inspiration post with Lost Coast Designs & Carmen's Veranda for the Stamped Background challenge.  I love Lost Coast Designs ART Doll and I wanted to coordinate the stamped background to her by using the Domino Border.

I started off by stamping the Domino Border over and over on a white card panel using VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink. It dries very quickly and is permanent once dry so it's perfect for using with Nuance pigment powders.  After the ink had dried, I sprinkled on the powders and wet to activate. The panel was set aside to dry.

I stamped the ART Doll  onto a piece of white cardstock again using VF Clair Nocturne. I also stamped a second doll face and domino on a scrap of white cardstock at the same time. The images were colored using a waterbrush and Memento Dye inks. I then die-cut the image from the cardstock.  I smashed a bottle cap and colored it with a pink Sharpie, after the ink had dried I glued the face onto the bottle cap and covered with a layer of Sparkle irRESISTible Pico Embellisher. The domino was affixed to the doll with double stick foam.

The domino background panel was affixed to a black card blank, the ART doll die cut image was added to the card and I finished if off with a few matching gemstones.  I hope this card has inspired you to create your own stamped background project for the challenge!

There's still time to play!!!  Be sure to link up your image to the Stamped Background Challenge for your chance to win Lost Coast dollars! 

Gothic Unicorn Card

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Hello all.  Cathy here to share a card I made for the Stamped Background challenge.

I started out with a piece of black cardstock and Grunge Diamond Background. I used Versafine ink and white embossing power and made the background. I did add sparkle to the feathers and the horn.

Next I took Teri Unicorn and stamped it with black in on a white piece of cardstock and colored it with Copic markers. Then I tore around the colored Teri Unicorn image and added it to the embossed piece that I did earlier. I used to a white card base.

You can still enter this challenge here. I hope you will play along.

Queen of Everything

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Spring greetings from Laurie!  I love the current Stamped Background challenge because I love background stamps.  I think the background of anything you make - card, ATC, tag, etc - is really enhanced by an interesting or well constructed background.

For these three ATCs, I have used the ATC Miscellaneous Set #6 which includes there great backgrounds.  I love that one is shaped like a Gothic arch while the other two are the standard ATC size and shape.  I didn't want to put too much onto my ATCs to avoid hiding the background stamping.  All the backgrounds started as white paper that I colored with Distress Inks which I blended together with my foam daubers.  I stamped each background with black ink onto my colored bases.  For all three I used vintage black and white images of women that I cut out of some collage sheets by GeckoGalz.  Each got a butterfly for some added interest.  Then I cut out a portion of one of the Carmen's Veranda clear stamps - Queen of Everything - and attached that same saying to each of my ATCs.  A little bit of Distress Ink around the border of each and you are all done!

Be sure to get out your background stamps and join this fun challenge.  And be sure to check out the great background stamps at Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda.

Happy Stamping!

Our Friendship...

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!
Good morning and happy Tuesday, It's Sue here with my second 'Stamped Background' project, and I would like my friend Alfred to introduce it!

I started by making my background with the Perspective Floor stamp, whoo this makes your eyes go a little squiffy!

I used the same stamp again for Alfred's background, this has such a 1960's feel to it.

I've given Alfred Hitchcock Standing (well it is Alfred Hitchcock, and he is standing lol) his own Nevermore Raven, you can't have Alfred without a bird!

And I'm sure that he would be full of witty anecdotes, sparkling conversation, and plenty of plain weirdness. This is also a Carmen's Veranda clear stamp, called Our Friendship I've dotted a couple more ravens around for good measure.
There's still a week or so to join in with our challenge, so I hope to see you over on the Portal.
Enjoy the rest of the week, and thanks very much for looking xx

Making a Classical Card with an Embellished Background

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Hello everyone, my name is Ginny Maxam and I am a new DT member for Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!  Today's post is my first for my new team, I am excited to be working with this wonderful and talented team using the awesome images from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!

This Weeks challenge is Stamped Background.  A great challenge with lots of possibilities.
Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda have some very unique and arty designs, nothing run of the mill here.  Artsy, yes. Weird, yes, Classical, yes. Like any company, you will find images you like and images you don't, but that is what is so fun about stamping, you make the art uniquely yours to suit your purpose.

My Stamped Background inspiration card:

I made this card using the 

Leaves background stamp 

Stamping on a bright white cardstock using  Memento ink

and

 Classic Women

On my background, I used a little Nuvo foil flakes

Mirror board and a feather for a little panache`

  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enter the Stamped Background challenge! 

 If you don't enter, you can't win!

Ginny M

Kitty behind the curtain

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Hello all in blog land. Cathy here with a card for the challenge. Stamped backgrounds is what it is called. You can check out some of the backgrounds here or here for your ATCs or here for some Carmen's Verandas backgrounds.

I started off with some watercolor paper and I took my Nuance powers and made them into a watercolor and painted a "sky"  background.  I set that aside to dry and I worked on the cat image. It is  Curtain Cat from KatzelKraft. Lost Coast Designs is carrying some.

I had it already stamped out and colored on a different piece of cardstock. I had stamped a saying and I smudged the ink on it so I couldn't use it for what I wanted but I didn't want to throw the card away. We all know what I'm talking about right.

 

Next I cut out the curtain cat and edged it with black marker so you don't see the white edge from cutting out. Added glossy accents to eyes because they need to be glossy. Set that aside to dry and then I went back to the watercolor sky.

So I grabbed my Flying Birds background stamp and stamped it on my watercolor sky background.

Then I adhered the curtain cat to the side of the card.   

The I took a circle and painted it some of the Nuance powers to make a moon and attached to the top of the card.

All put together. I hope to see your creation with stamped backgrounds.

You can join the fun here.
You can also join over on our Facebook group.

The Colour of Brains

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Hello.  Gail here today to share a little inspiration for the current challenge Stamped Background.  Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda have some amazing, beautiful and very reasonably priced background stamps, so this is a no brainer.  Now there's a theme to expand upon.......

I used the gorgeous Lost Coast Designs Pondscum background with Carmen's Veranda Oz Scarecrow and Tidy Minds sentiment.  

I stamped and embossed Pondscum Background with black powder on white card.  I'm not sure this picture does it justice.  It's a very detailed and complex stamp.  Do use a fine, detailed embossing powder if you are going to heat emboss.  I used Stampendous Fine Black here.  

Then I stamped and embossed the Tidy Minds sentiment and Oz Scarecrow, both available from Carmen's Veranda.  I cut the sentiment panel with Sizzix Deckle Edge die and fussy cut the scarecrow.  I quite liked it black and white, but then decided to add some colour.

I thought green, for spring, vaguely entertained red, for brains, and then decided yellow, for happy, and maybe also brains if you are a scarecrow!!!

Thanks for dropping by.  Don't forget to link up your makes using stamping in the background for a chance to win Lost Coast dollars!!!

CHALLENGE #51 - STAMPED BACKGROUND

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Greetings.  It's time for our new Challenge.
Our challenges are now fortnightly!  A new challenge starting the 1st and the 15th of every month, with chances to win your self some Lost Coast dollars. We will be announcing winners on the 5th of the month, so do pop back and see who wowed the team and gets our snazzy blog badge and the coveted Lost Coast dollars.

Now for our new Challenge!

CHALLENGE #51

STAMPED BACKGROUND

This fortnight we want you to get creative with your stamps and make a stamped background for your creation.  So anything goes as long as you use stamping in the background.  

Please remember we do have some Challenge Rules to follow so look them over to ensure your entries qualify to win this month's prize!

You are welcome to play in our Challenges using rubber stamp images from any company but if you use any of our Lost Coast Designs or Carmen's Veranda stamps...we love it when you do...then your entry counts as two , which doubles your chances of winning in our random drawing.

PRIZES

To ensure you all have a fabulous time playing in our Challenges this is how our Prize system works!
The more entries the better the Prize so tell all your friends to join the fun too!

1 - 4 Entries = one Winner is awarded our Challenge Winner's Badge
5+ Entries = one Winner will receive a $5 gift certificate to spend at LCD/CV
10+ Entries = one Winner will receive a $10 gift certificate to spend at LCD/CV
and all winners get our snazzy Challenge Winner's Badge to proudly display on their blogs!

If you don't have a blog then no prob, you can still play in our challenges by sharing your projects from public photo sharing sites which includes our Facebook Company Pages for Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda.  If you are using Lost Coast Designs or Carmen's Veranda stamps you can now also link up your challenge entry in the Lost Coast Official Fan Group on facebook.  There is a challenge album in photo's.  Please include our Challenge info and the link back to our challenge in your photo's description!  As long as the privacy setting for your photo is public you're good to go.  See, it's so easy to join the fun!  FYI, you can't link up projects shared in closed Facebook groups! 

Here's some inspiration from the team to get us started.  ENJOY!
Let's start with a couple of projects from our new teamies
Roni made this cute and fun card using Nuance powders, Pencils background and Georges and Louis

Ginny made this gorgeous card using Lost Coast Designs Shrubbery, the large dragonfly from More Bugz and the Carmen's Veranda Discover sentiment

Laurie made this beautiful card using Carmen's Veranda Calligraphy Square and Lost Coast Designs Medium Clown Doll

Sue made this elegant card using Lost Coast Designs Large Chickenwire Background and Roses

 Now it's your turn.  Are you up for the challenge?  We can't wait to see your projects!  
Submit your entries in the linky party below by 5 to midnight PST on the 30th and don't forget to follow us so you don't miss anything!  The team will be posting more inspiration throughout the month so check back and join the fun.

Happy Stamping!
Gail
Challenge Host

An InLinkz Link-up

Fly Card

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!
Cathy here with a card for you for the Pretty as a picture challenge.

What catches your eye?  The colors, the shapes, the nest, the eggs?

What caught my eye was the nest and the red and white color.

Frist I stamped the nest  and colored it with different brown Copic markers.
It felt like I was playing pick-up sticks with coloring.  Next I colored the leaves with different colors.
 Then I fussy cut it out and added to a red piece of cardstock and then added that to white card base.

Then I stamped the word Fly and added the to some black cardstock then added to the card

I hope you come and play in the Pretty as a picture challenge.

Say Hi to our New Teamies

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Hello and welcome.  Gail here and I am very excited to be writing this post!!  First I would like to say a huge thank you to those of you who applied for our design team call.
WOW!!  We were blown away by the amazing artists who wanted to join our team.  You really made the choice agonizing.  Thank you all so much, cos I love being agonized!!  If you weren't successful this time then please don't be downhearted or discouraged, we would have chosen more of you if we could!!!  And all you rest of the world people, sorry it was only the US this time, but maybe in the future.....  So keep following, join our challenges, cos that's a great way for us to get to know you, and who knows, maybe in the future it could be you joining this fabulous team.

 So here are the two amazing artists that are joining our team.  Say a big hi and hello to

Roni of Ink Stains

Hi, Ink Stained Roni here and so happy to be a part of this amazing group of artists. I live in rural Indiana with my high school sweetheart, we have two grown sons, each of which has their own family now. I am a life-long "maker" and I've been crafting for as long as I can remember. I found my love when rubber met the ink pad and I've been a stamper ever since.  You may have stumbled across my work over the years which can be found many places including my blog Ink Stains, a variety of design teams and magazines or in the book I wrote Teach Yourself Visually: Collage & Altered Arts.  If I had to describe my style it would be vintage eclectic - I love all things vintage and use it often in my art. The same goes with various techniques and mediums so I never quite know how things will turn out.


AND

Ginny of Maxam Made Studio

Hi Ginny here.  I have been happily stamping since 1978.  I started making my own stamps out of anything that I could carve, including wood and potatoes!  I enjoy paper arts, needlework and cooking.  Living in beautiful Central New York, I'm happily married, a mother and grandmother.  I'm active in local Christian women's groups and teach art and head up a large card ministry.  I truly believe in living each day to its' fullest!

If you are familiar with these lovely ladies then I am sure you already know what amazing artists they are.  If you haven't been lucky enough to cross their arty paths then you are in for a huge treat!  The plan was that they were going to be joining the team in May, but since they can't wait to get their rubber inky, and we can't wait to start sharing their amazing and inspiring makes, they will be joining us for our next challenge which goes live on the 15th!
It's gonna be AWESOME!! 

There are still a few days to join our current Pretty as a Picture challenge

   Join up your stamped creations inspired by something from the picture for a chance to win some Lost Coast Dollars.

Lost Coast Designs have a stand this weekend (14th-15th) at
ARTSpecially, Utrecht, The Netherlands 

If you are at the show do stop by and say hi to Linda.

If you are hoping to meet up with Linda in person and shop yourself some Lost Coast Designs or Carmen's Veranda rubber this year you can check the 
2018 convention schedule
and see where you will be able to find her.

Thanks so much for stopping by and don't forget to leave a little love so we know you were here.  Lurkers welcome, but we do love when you take the time to comment!!

Ancient Muse

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Greeting again from Laurie and another post for the "Pretty As A Picture" challenge going on at the Portal now.    This one features the Ancient Woman 4 Stamp from Lost Coast Designs and the "Muse" Clear Stamp from Carmen's Veranda.  There is a whole set of Ancient Women stamps available and they are all really beautiful!  They remind me of ancient Greek or Roman women whose faces you might have seen on antique vases or mosaics. 

I started by stamping my image with black ink onto a background paper I made using tan and rust paints and some vintage papers. I cut down the background paper to follow the tag shape of the stamp itself.  I used some Distress Ink to darken up the edges.

I found a piece of vintage lace trim and stitched it to the bottom of my tag.  I punched a hole in the top and threaded some multicolored fibers through.  I then stamped my sentiment with black ink on a scrap from my background paper, edged it with black, and tied it to my fibers.

And there you have a simple but elegant tag!  Let's see what tags or other goodies you can create with the "Pretty As A Picture" theme!

Picture This Chippie Page

Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Good morning and happy Sunday, it's Sue here with my project for the 'Picture This challenge'. I just love the colours of our inspiration photograph, and this is what I've made.

 I started by gathering my paints together in the challenge colours.

 Then I made a 'pealed paint' background using the paints and a chap stick.

I added some stamping with the Leonardo Accessories Set

And the Agregate background

I stamped the 3 Flying Flower Girls using my stamping platform so I could get a really good impression.

So now I have another double page in my chippy album completed.

You still have a week to enter our challenge, so I hope to see you over on the Portal. Have a happy day, and thanks very much for looking x