Playing with Paisley

These stamps are a big set of "build it yourself" paisleys by Autumn Leaves.  I stamped them all in pigment ink, including the solid ones that colour the inside.  I decided to have a good session with them as part of my "Use Every Stamp" challenge.

Thanks for all your wonderful comments on "My Home" Artist Trading Cards,  They are very encouraging.

 



Lucky 13

 

One of the themes for the Vancouver Artist Trading Card swap this month is "Lucky 13".  13 doesn't actually appear on this card but the images speak to me of luck and superstition. LOL



My Home

 

 

I was born here in Vancouver and I still love the old neighbourhoods with lots of trees and songbirds twelve months of the year.

 

These Artist Trading Cards show all the things I love about my home!





Tags, Tags, Tags



 

Stamps by Inque Boutique and Stamping Bella

 

Stamps by Tim Holtz and ???

 

Stamp by imaginesce

 

Stamps by Autumn Leaves and ???

 

All of these tags are coloured with pencil crayons.



A Fall Birthday Card

 

 

Just a bit of playing around with my leaf stamps; this one is by Stampin' Up.  The greeting is Studio G.

Soft Breezes

 

The inspiration for this journal page was the Use Every Stamp 2013 challenge.  I'm making my way through some fruit and vegetable stamps, so I first used the pineapple stamp with Versamark and Pan Pastels and then added the palm trees the same way.  This piece of clip art seemed to suit the background perfectly.  A soft breeze was blowing through my window at the time and it all reminded me of lovely days spent in Hawaii.  Ahhhhhhh...

Watercolor Baby Cards

 

It's handy to have all kinds of cards ready to send when you need them.  These baby cards were painted with watercolors.



Use Your Stamps Challenge

 

 

I'm working through my flower stamps this month as part of the Use Your Stamps Challenge.  I want to get all my flower stamps used by the end of August.  This Magenta stamp makes a nice border, perfect for a bookmark.



Use Your Stamp Challenge

 

 

I made this card while working through my box of flower stamps as part of the Use Your Stamps Challenge.  I inked the stamp with 3 colours of ink and spritzed it with water before stamping onto watercolour paper.  The stamp is by Rubber Stampede, and the greeting by Clearly Wordsworth.



Summer

..... and the living is easy.

 

This is a new page in my slab book.  The stamp is by inque boutique.

What's Next?

 

 

This is the last journal page in a small journal I started in 2003.  The background is a piece of rice paper with a glue stick resist and watercolor.  I'm not sure who makes the flower stamp.  The small format of this journal allows me to use stamps that get lost on a larger page.  That makes me happy.



Counting

In this journal spread I "counted" a number of goals accomplished:

• I used two flower stamps for my "Use Your Stamps Challenge"
• I cleared a scrap off my desk which I created trying out a rubbing/resist technique using a glue stick
• I worked in a small journal I started in 2003.  I'm trying to finish off some of my old journals.

Working Small

These are a couple of small (4 x 5) journals I'm finishing off.  I like working small because it is quick, seems less intimidating, and it gives me a chance to use some of my smaller stamps.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Stamp Challenge Continues

I'm making my way through my box of flower stamps in August, finding some old favourites and identifying some to give away.  (See this post for more on this project.)  

This set of flower stamps was on my "doubtful" list, but I think I'll keep them now.  They're nice and big and offer solids and outlines, giving them lots of scope.

The background for this journal page is distress inks and stains over a few other miscellaneous layers in my old book journal.

Update - Use Every Stamp 2013

Some of you may remember that I am participating in Use Every Stamp 2013.  The class started at the beginning of the year, so it is time for a "check-in".   I was trying to find more ways to use my stamp collection, and my challenge was "Use 'Em or Lose 'Em."

How am I doing?  "So so" is the answer to that one.  I've been attracted to drawing, calligraphy, and gelli printing this year.  I have used some small stamps with calligraphy and some foam stamps with gelli printing.  But, I'm still not using my stamps as much as I should, considering the space they take up in my small office/studio.

How does it feel?  As we move firmly into the second half of the year, I'm thinking a lot about "losing" some stamps.  I've gained clarity that there are some stamps I won't be sad to lose.  (I've never been very good at letting things go when they are no longer used.   The voice in my head keeps saying things like "What if I need this one day?"  So, this is a big step.)  But, I'm bummed out that at the half-way point, I estimate that I've only used about 10% of my stamps.  At this rate, by the end of the year I may have used 20%, and I don't feel that I will be willing to lose the other 80%.

What have I accomplished and what still needs to be done?  I'm marking off stamps in my stamp catalog as I use them.  I've learned that I reach for many favourites over and over again.  I've given a few stamps away and I've been through all my boxes of stamps and removed those that are clear "losers".  I've put the "losers" in the basement and if I don't go down and reclaim them for a specific project they're definitely going.  (The boxes contain wood mounted and clear sets).  I've learned that this project was too big for one year, so I won't try and tackle the CD cases of unmounted rubber until 2014.

My current method isn't going to get me far enough in 2013, though, so I'm adding to my strategy.  I'm going to get out one box of stamps each month and deliberately try to use the stamps in the box that haven't been used in 2013.  We'll do flowers in August, move onto leaves and foliage in the fall, and so on.  As I use my stamps this way, I'm going to follow the tips suggested by Susan on her blog, Simplicity.  (She's also running a Use-Your-Stamps Challenge):

As you use your stamps, pay attention to how you like working with each stamp or set. Is it worth the space it's taking up? Do you want to get rid of it? Perhaps you're not quite ready to say goodbye. If so, put it in a box in your basement or closet for six months or a year. After that time, you'll either be ready to say goodbye or welcome it back into your stash. Time lends clarity.

Who thought that saying good-by could be so hard?

Using Paper Artsey Stamps

Participating in the Use Every Stamp 2013 challenge is really working for me so far.  Here are some Paper Artsey stamps that haven't seen ink for quite a while!  These are artists trading cards.

Use Every Stamp 2013

I signed up for a free class at the Creative Classroom called "Use Every Stamp 2013".  You can read about it on this blog.   I've been trying to find a way to use my stamp collection more and I thought it might help.  Here's a couple of art journal pages I made in January that use stamps, as well as a bookmark:

Stamps by da Vinci and Tim Holtz

Stamps by Silver Crow, Autumn Leaves

Watercolor Pencil Crayons and Portfolio Pastels

Stamps by Stampington, Autumn Leaves and ???