mini-doodle stamps

not too long ago, we brought home our sweet little two-month-old
mini-goldendoodle puppy, Gidget…..

and it's hard to believe, but this weekend 

we're celebrating her first birthday already!  woo hoo!

she is just as sweet as she can be, and some of her favorite pastimes are

playing, eating treats, playing, barking at nothing, carrying big sticks,

going outside so she can try to eat some mulch, playing, stealing socks….

and running in the field.  

she absolutely loves to run in the field.  she's a very normal puppy.

  

well….normal….until i mention that she also loves to go to the post office 

with me.  i know.  that's a little less normal, and kind of a long story. 

but, the other day i was thinking about how we've got a  

less-than-normal-puppy-who-loves-to-go-to-the-post-office….

and inspiration struck! 

i was thinking how the post office likes to commemorate big events with
 a series of new stamps, and since Gidget's first birthday is a big event

{and me actually surviving the first year is an even bigger event!},

i've decided to create a series of illustrated faux-postage stamps 

for our mini-goldendoodle who loves to go to the post office!

so, the first thing i did was start sketching lots of different stamp shapes…..

 and then i created a template of the stamp sizes i liked the best

by placing a couple of strips of packaging tape 

over my drawings and cutting out the "middles".  then i trimmed the 

tape around the edges of the paper, and now it's nice and sturdy,

and the paper won't tear as i'm tracing around the inside to create my stamps.

the next step was to draw the "stamp" template shape onto my paper,
then i added some drawing and coloring…..
and here's our Gidget with her very own faux-postage stamp
to commemorate her big day!

and here's a sweet little "initial tag" for her to wear on her collar!

i have lots of fun ideas for more "mini-doodle stamps", 

now all i need is the time to create them…..

when there's a puppy around, finding creative time is the 

biggest challenge of all!  :))

{this faux micro-postage stamp is about 1/2" wide, and was created on

fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper using prismacolor verithin pencils,

and a 0.5 mechanical pencil}

selfie

i've been having fun carving "selfie stamps"…..
gotta make sure the next one includes a nose, though.  :))


{supplies:  speedy carve, linoleum carving tools, black archival ink}

where the heart is

i've been in kind of a weird art mood all week.
 i want to be creative, but have no idea what i want to create,
so sometimes i don't create at all!
but i figure instead of doing nothing, i may as well do what i love......
 pass some time carving a few stamps.
goodbye, weird art mood.

i hope your heart helps you discover playful art this weekend!  enjoy!

i heart friday

of all the days of the week, friday is my favorite.  

 i really absolutely positively adore it.

friday is the time to give yourself a round of applause for successfully getting yourself through monday, tuesday, wednesday and thursday. it's a day to celebrate......put all your domestic duties and humdrum chores on hold!  for example, no cooking on friday.....unless opening a new bag of chocolate chips counts as being culinary.  :))

but i think one of the best things about friday is that it's the start of the weekend!
and if you work it just right, you can find lots of time to play with all your art stuff......
and maybe finish off that bag of chocolate chips!  woo hoo!

happy friday to you, sweet bloggy friends!

{art stamps available in my shop here!}

happily-ever-laughter

i'm still having a ball playing with the little thumbprint people......but after spending several minutes at the sink with some soap, water, and baby wipes to get the mess off of my fingers, i decided that i would carve up a couple of stamps to help keep my fingers a little less inky. i carved a thumbprint, and a pinky fingerprint.....

and then used them to create a page in my journal (that's me and my little dutch sweetie....can you see the resemblance? heeheeheee). this is waaaaay too much fun......makes me outright belly laugh!!

have a great weekend!!

click on image for better view

journal page finished with scrap papers, micron pens, 4B pencil, hand-carved thumbprint stamp, pilot g-tec pen

inspiration monday

here's a cool trick that i learned while taking mary ann moss' online stencilry class:

take a photo (i'm using black and white)......

and play with the filter>artistic options in photoshop......and eventually you end up with a stencil cut-out version of your photo!

{note: i may have played a little too long, because for some reason i ended up with only half of one eyebrow, no nose, and partial lips......please refer to previous photo to confirm that i actually possess these things.....}

while mary ann takes the photoshopped image and creates a stencil from it, i decided to do something a little different and carve a stamp (i had to draw in a chin and neck to keep myself from looking totally hopeless.....again, please see previous photo)

and then i used it to create one of my "15 minute" journal pages! total fun!!

(p.s. if you love to play with stencils, i highly recommend mary ann's class....it's loaded with great information, and she's a great teacher!)

abundant blessings

we have signed the papers, we have the keys, we have a beautiful new house....we are so totally blessed!

and the winners are....

the random.org number picker chose #14 and #6 as the winners of the give-away!  which means that....

michelle, you have won the wish stamp....and lisa, you've won the art stamp!!  please send me your address and i'll send your goodies out right away!  thank you so much to everyone who helped me celebrate my big 200!!

giveaway times two!

i'm celebrating!  this past weekend i wrote my 200th blog post and reached over 200 "favorite hearts" in my etsy shop!  i'm not quite sure how both of these things happened at the same time...all i know is that i think it calls for twice the fun!  and what could be more fun than a give-away?  so, give-away #1:  i tried to think of a way that i could show you how much i appreciate all of your sweet comments and words of encouragement...especially with my new obsession of carving stamps!  i received so much positive feedback about my "wish" stamp, that i decided to carve another one...just for you (and i think that this one is much better than the first!)!

and since we're having twice the fun, we've got to have twice the give-away, don't you think?!  so, give-away #2 is a new stamp that i carved...specifically made for you, my artsy blogger friends!  created like the "wish" stamp, i wrote out the word "art",  gave it a faux postage stamp border and then carved it into a staedtler mars plastic eraser.  

if you'd like to participate in this double give-away, just leave a comment before this thursday, midnight, east coast time.  please make sure that i can link back to your blog, or leave your e-mail address so i can contact you.  i'll be drawing two names (one for each stamp) and announce the winner on friday!  

thanks for helping me to celebrate...and thank you so much for your support and encouragement over these past 200 posts!  you'll never know how much i've enjoyed getting to know you...and how much i truly appreciate you!  :)

edited: two names have been drawn and will be announced on friday!  thanks for helping me celebrate!