#52stamps : First quarter = 21 Stamps

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. I've carved for 12 weeks and have already made 21 new stamps! For various reasons I have decided to have a break from this challenge for April. I'll still be around the blog though, so hope you'll call in. Hope you are having a lovely long weekend.
You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE. 

#52stamps : Week 12

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. 
Loved my repeating stamp design of my previous post so thought I'd have a go at a variation. This time I wanted to do something circular so it takes 4 repeats to complete. 

And of course I also carved into the opposite corners so then I had to stamp it out further to see how they look as well ♥

I am having so much fun and can see I am making progress now. I don't even care I'm not stamping them perfectly straight ♥
You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join in on Instagram.

#52stamps : Week 11

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. This week it was time to try carving a repeat pattern. I amazed myself with how well it turned out.

I am so loving this and will definitely be doing more ♥ 
You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join in on Instagram.

#52stamps : Week 10

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. This week I was inspired by a simple pattern from this book : take a peek inside via Amazon HERE

It uses the idea of repeating triangles and will be really fun as a border or background. I must admit I'm not thrilled with my effort...I got a large eraser to carve on (it had a word printed on it which is what gives the stamp the dual colouring), but I should have made the triangles larger. I got another eraser and carved some larger triangles that can fit together as a border. I like that one better.

So 2 stamps this week, and I'm sure once they are put in the drawers with the rest of my collection I'll use them well. We are our own worst critics....You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join in on Instagram.

#52stamps : Week 9

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. Simple is good at the moment and inspiration strikes in unexpected places. When I was brushing my teeth the other day, I thought that these tiles hanging in my bathroom could inspire some stamps

And I was right ♥

You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join in on Instagram.

February was hard - my gorgeous Dad died and it's affected me in lots of different ways. I've felt strong, and loving, and brave, and exhausted, and unmotivated, and overwhelmed... such an event gives you a new perspective, cuts through the crap, and feels so surreal... I want to be creative, I just want to blob out in front of netflix, I want to make meaningful art, I want to crawl into bed, I can't sleep, I don't want to get up..... I want to connect with people who love me, I don't want to talk about it, it helps to be social, it's exhausting to be with others going over the same stuff.... I'm a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a sister, (the ranking changes depending on what's needed) a teacher... I am lucky and loved, I am showing up in all the ways I am best capable right now and I continue to try and shine so others are inspired to shine too. 
Right now my intention is to keep showing up here on the blog when I can - even if it's just the weekly stamp challenge. I appreciate that you're here ♥  

(Brave Girls' Club)

#52stamps : Week 8

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. 
A few weeks ago I was thinking about what I'd like as additional background stamps and I shared these 3 stamps that I made and use regularly

I made a larger border stamp and uneven crosses in week 4

and this week I was inspired to create another scribbly circle. It was so easy and fun that I immediately used it on the journal page I was working on ♥

I'm reminding myself that one new stamp is all I need to meet the challenge, but when it's as easy as that it's tempting to make another....

Maybe I'll try something a bit harder next week...or not! Have to wait and see what inspiration strikes. You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join in on Instagram.

#52stamps : Weeks 6 & 7

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. 
We said farewell to my lovely Dad this past week. The service was on Valentine's Day and was the perfect way to honour a man who was always generous with his love and well loved by many in return. In love and memory of Dad, I decided to create some heart stamps - I only needed to carve 2 to be caught up.
I began with the inspiration of E E Cummings' beautiful poem "i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)"

This stamp was carved on the back of a stamp which you can play with to create different patterns

and I really like the 4-leaf-clover effect of stamping this heart in a round

I was then was inspired by a friend's carving of a few weeks ago to do a vertical line of hearts 

Those 2 complete my challenge of a stamp a week, but since I have a commercial heart stamp with some diagonal lines, I thought it would be fun do do one with rough horizontal bands

So now my heart stamp collection looks like this - a mix of commercial and hand carved by me ♥ 

You can see my post about the open heart stamp HERE and the triple heart HERE. I am glad to be back in the studio and sharing with you.
You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join in on Instagram.

#52stamps : Week 5

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. Here's what I made in January :

I am so happy that I started this challenge, and taking that photo is so motivating to continue. I'll end up with more than 52 by the end of the year at this rate ♥ 
Just one this week. One of my favourite stencil shapes that I have in a few different sizes is the tapa 

Decided it would be nice to have a stamp to complement them. 

I can't carve more of the edges off since it is the back of my open heart stamp. You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join me on Instagram. 

#52stamps : Week 4

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. I've been using some of my new stamps on journal pages. This is my open heart and SHINE on the page I shared yesterday

I recently created this page in my journal and enjoyed all the different kinds of mark making, including stamping

I used my "oops" stamp from week 1 in the background here

This week I've been thinking about what I'd like as additional background stamps and what I've already got in my collection that might inspire more ideas. I love these 3 stamps I made and use them regularly 

Also as I rummaged through my hand-carved stamps I found a few that haven't been carved on the back...so now I have plenty of food for inspiration for continuing on into Feb as well. First I rescued one that had 'gone wrong' - uneven crosses will be cool in a background, and then I most wanted a larger curvy border stamp (I just need to make sure to ink this one up properly) : 

These are very imperfect. I am reminding myself that I am aiming for this! Hopefully appearing in an art journal page soon ♥
You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join in on Instagram. Let me know if you're doing that - would be great to inspire each other.

#52stamps : Week 3

The challenge = to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly in 2018. This week has been a tough one. We are supporting my father as he enters the next stage of his journey with cancer. There are many unknowns, we are taking it one day at a time, and I am so happy I have art as a regular practice of self-care, sometimes a meditative exercise, as a way to feel calm, and as a lovely escape. With all this in mind, I decided what I needed to make was an open heart that represents courage and strength. Often in my art, I draw a heart like this : 

I love including the spiral - the koru shape represents new life, growth, strength and peace. So this is my stamp for Week 3 : open heart - enfolding - courage - LOVE

Embracing my naiive imperfect style ♥ Take that, inner critic! 
While I have a number of heart stamps in my collection, this is a lovely new addition. And I didn't carve off the edges because I can carve on the back at some stage.

You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join in on Instagram. Let me know if you're doing that - would be great to inspire each other. 

#52stamps : Week 2

My first post about this challenge is HERE. I hope to share at least one new stamp made by me weekly from now on. My word of the year is SHINE and I am hoping to create some Magic this year : 

Things learned this week 
* the blade I used in week one was a little wide, narrower is easier
* I need to SLOW DOWN - when I rush that makes for cuts in the wrong places
* I could keep 'fixing' these but I am embracing the imperfect look 
I free-styled my lettering for Magic (and transferred it by rubbing to transfer pencil to the eraser) but used this stencil for SHINE

It's useful for tracing through since you can reverse the lettering easily. 
I've added a blade to my tool kit - it's useful for cutting ends off that are not needed (utilise for smaller stamps later) and for carving off large bits. I'm also wondering if it might be easier for some carving applications since it is a flat blade...I'll let you know.

I am far from expert but practice = improvement and I am having fun so that's a win. Hoping my imperfection inspires you to have a go at this. My first every post about stamp carving HERE has some useful links and inspiration.
You can see all my posts about #52stamps HERE or you can join in on Instagram. Let me know if you're doing that - would be great to inspire each other ♥ 

#52stamps : Week 1

"Stamp carving is one of those things I always love to do but don't always prioritise time for." I wrote that to start this blog post and immediately a little voice in my head said "Would it really be that hard to create one new stamp a week?"....I thought about whether this was unrealistic and I decided I will give it a go. It would be so cool to have 52 more stamps to use by the end of the year. When will I do it? It's very portable - as long as the design has been transferred to the stamp (easily done at night) I can carve in the car while waiting for boys + I have a quilt group that meets weekly during term time on a Monday night and I'm always looking at things to do there so that's two easy options. I'll share weekly - hopefully you'll see at least one new one every week. It doesn't have to be expensive once you have the tools : this is mine

and I bought erasers from The Warehouse very cheaply : the pack of 6 small cost $1.50 and the 2-pack was $1 each. Keep an eye out in Dollar stores too to pick up larger erasers

See the end of this post for useful tutorials and inspiration.
As you do with a new project, I started off enthusiastically this week by carving more than one stamp. Because I'm taking Moonshine with Effy Wild I thought it would be really fun to carve some Moon Phase Stamps - inspired by this tutorial. 

Not perfect but cute right?....from the top : new moon, quarter moon, full moon, another quarter moon (I was trying to improve so tried design again - didn't need to!), one that totally didn't work so carved over it to create a pattern ♥, and a loose star. 6 stamps out of 3 blocks because you can carve both sides. Am inspired by some class mates so hopeful that next week you'll see the words SHINE and Magic.
I'm no expert, but if I keep carving #52stamps I might be better by the end of the year!
My favourite inspirations for stamp carving are Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and Geninne D Zlatkis. Julie's just finished posts about her Carved December challenge and you can see all her stamp carving posts HERE. She's published a book and has online classes on this subject but I can't comment on their content. Geninne published this fab book (see my review HERE) 

and has a really useful section on her blog with stamp carving tutorials HERE. Please share in the comments if you have other artists that inspire your carving.
You can follow me on Instagram HERE and join in too. Let me know if you're doing that - would be great to inspire each other ♥ See my other posts about stamp carving HERE and my first ever post where I share some other inspiration HERE.