inspiration monday

here's a fun, easy way to add some autumn flair to your journal page!

start by carving a solid leaf stamp (i carved this stamp from a plastic eraser).

then smoosh three different colors of distress ink onto a smooth, non-porous surface.

now spray a very fine mist of water onto the ink…..

and press your stamp into the ink, trying to include all three colors.

now stamp your image onto your journal page.  

you can fill in some of the white areas by using your water brush to smooth out the color……

and you can also use the leftover ink on your craft sheet to paint in other important things on your journal page.

then, once you've added all your favorite journal-touches,
celebrate these crisp autumn days by making yourself a big cup of hot chocolate!
(p.s.  and make sure you put plenty of those soft, ooey-gooey, mini marshmallows on top!)


{watch me carve a stamp here}

{supplies:  moleskine watercolor journal,  plastic eraser, carving tools,  distress ink stamp pads in fired brick, rusty hinge, and crushed olive, craft sheet, waterbrush, 6B graphite pencil, sepia pitt pens}

inspiration monday

i've been a little inspiration-challenged lately.....not quite sure what i want to do, or which direction i want to go in. so i decided to take a look in my overflowing box of partially-finished-projects, and this is what i found: a piece of curtain lining stamped with hand-carved flower and leaf stamps, and then decorated with a piece of rick-rack and some embroidery floss.

even though this was created several months ago, i'm reminded how much i truly enjoy working on projects like these. it's simple, it's colorful, it's cute, it uses lots of different techniques......and it makes me really happy!

if you're looking for some inspiration today, take a look into your creative past.....you might just find some artistic treasure that you've forgotten about!

grow happy

i've discovered that one of my favorite things to do is take a simple shape (in this case, i used a small circle) and create a journal page from it. it's fun, it's easy, it's simple, and it's quick.....and i doubt that i'll be able to say that about any of the other things that are on my "to do" list today!

journal page created using micron pens and watercolor pencils

stamp carving...the sequel

penny for your thoughts...and maybe another penny for these little loafers?  for days and days i have dreamt of clearing my "life's list" so that i could get back into the studio and do some more stamp carving.  and then those days somehow turned into weeks, so today i found, or i should say, i took some time to carve this little shoe stamp.  in my world of favorite classic shoes, this penny loafer is definitely a must have!

other classic shoes can be seen here and here.

saddle oxford into a stamp

several days have gone by since i carved an image of my beloved mary janes, and to continue on with the theme, today i decided to see if i could do the same thing with my drawing of the classic saddle oxford.  

it took a little longer to carve this one because of all of the tiny details...but i was so happy with the results that i decided to make a card using my new stamp!  i don't currently own a pair of saddle oxfords, but they're so cute that i may just have to invest in a pair!  have a fabulous weekend!!   click on image for larger view

have a heart

just wanted to give you a peek at what i've been working on today.  i love taking a shape (hearts are my favorite) and playing with different patterns.  i think that this carved trio looks really cute in my little stamp journal!  

i hope you have a great weekend!  i've got some celebrating planned for monday...maybe even a give-away?!  more details coming on monday!  see you then!

p.s.  members of the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team have the honor of being interviewed as a way of getting to know each other better.  i'm a relatively new member, and you can read my interview here on the BEST blog!

dream house...stamp style

i'm still carving up a storm...but kind of getting to the point of not knowing what to carve next!  so many choices!  today i happened to look over and spy this little house that i made over a year ago using some of the papers in my stash, and i decided to try carving some of my own artwork.  

so i made a copy of the finished artwork, reduced it, and transfered it to my stamp material.  this is the almost-finished-product...i see a few spots that still need to be touched up!

good thing

i've been having some fun carving these stamps.  actually, i think i'm addicted!  it's like therapy, only cheaper.  and the fact that my hands stay busy means i'm not sticking something chocolate in my mouth every time i turn around.  yes, this stamp carving is a very good thing...

carving out some time for stamps

after spending a few days playing hookie, i'm eager to get back to my "wish list" of pending projects.  first on the list: carving some more rubber stamps!

 look familiar?  i couldn't resist carving a stamp of one of my most favorite illustrations!  i've enhanced the image a little by using a micron pen, and added the white dots with a gel pen.

this is the reverse image of the previous stamp.  i decided to carve the heart and hand separately, so i can switch the artwork up a bit (sorry this image isn't darker!).  this was so much fun...i could easily get hooked on this!

inspiration monday

this is a calendar book...for the year 1993...that was created by artist susan riecken.  i've loved this book for sixteen years.  it's literally travelled with me across the ocean a few times, and, to this day, i consider it to be one of my most treasured pieces of artwork.  and here's why:  the original calendar that susan created was done so using rubber stamps...that she hand carved from Eberhard Faber Rub-Kleen erasers.  her carving tool of choice was an X-Acto knife fitted with a number 11 blade.  every date, letter and illustration is a result of a hand-carved rubber stamp, some measuring only 1/16th of an inch tall!  susan has included lunar phases, solstices, and equinoxes, along with quotes and fun-facts throughout the calendar.  each time i look through this treasure, i try to imagine the amount of hours that went into this project.   i have such appreciation for her passion in completing such a masterpiece...and i'm truly inspired.  click on image for a better view of this wonderful artwork!