About Me

My photo
i am a creative person. mother to a daughter who is an active young woman and a constant blessing in my life. i hope that you enjoy your visit here and that you will return often.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

# 102 . . .





at pintangle week 21 is all about the butterfly chain stitch. this was another new stitch for me. it's worked in two rounds. the first consisting of straight stitches. i made a group of three (varying lengths) using three strands of floss. each strand was a different color. the second round is a sort of chain stitch that loops around each of the groups of straight stitches. i chose a single strand of a variegated cotton thread for that round.   i didn't find an area on any of the stockings that i wanted to work this stitch into so i practiced with it on a fabric postcard instead.

there is always some creative eye candy within the comments on TAST posts and this week is no exception.

Christine, Claudia  and Miriam have all gone whimsical with kites.  i LOVE this example of the stitch serving a purpose within clothing in a decorative way.
it turns out that one does not have to use three straight stitches for the first run of stitches as shown in Lins Arty Blobs. very cool~!!~


i have wanted to create my own carved stamps for a very long time. i've researched and read and daydreamed and i even bought all of the supplies i'd need over a year ago and yet i still hadn't actually done it.
what was my problem~!?
i was concerned about it being difficult and time consuming and yes, that i'd make some mess of a stamp that i could only use by hiding it cleverly in the farthest back part of some background work.

last week i finally did it and none of those things happened. it was extremely easy and the cutting of it didn't hurt my hands at all (i have puny hand strength). it took me about an hour and that was from my first "gee, maybe i could just unpackage the tools and read over things" thought to actually having used my very first homemade stamp.
AND it turned out absolutely fabulously~!!~

the first thing that has to be done (after the unpackaging thing) is a decision must be made in regards to what the stamp is going to be . . .
i had sketched a pear (this months challenge with The Sketchbook Challenge is fruits and vegetables).
i decided to give it a go using my small (app. 2" tall x 1" wide) pear sketch.
and then i transferred the sketch onto the pink carving material and got to work carving it.
as you can see i enjoyed stamping it out on various papers. see the image in the middle of my process collage? i turned it into this:

feel free to click on the images if you want to see them better.

i hope to be making another fruit stamp this weekend as well as all sorts of stamps eventually.

if you have been thinking about making your own stamps my advice is: jump in and TRY IT~!

i'm looking forward to my artwork being that much more original because i no longer have to rely on pre-made stamps. there are lots of beautiful ones to choose from but there is nothing like having a certain 'vision' for a project and being able to make that happen independently of what may or may not be available for purchase. 
i also really like the rough look of the hand carved stamps as opposed to manufactured ones.

now all of that having been said i'll show some of the tags that i've recently made, all of which used at least one purchased stamp.
as you can see, they can be really pretty and even very versatile. i loved the way the butterfly looked after having colored it in using my prisma colored pencils. 

leaf stamps are favorites of mine and i have several but i'm still looking forward to making a few of my own.
now i can pick up any attractive leaf that i find, carry it home, sketch it out and voila; i'll not only have another stamp to use but i'll also have the memory of all that went into it. being a creative person means that those are good memories for me~!


it may be a while before i carve anything as detailed as the butterfly or as cute as this little mouse stamp but i'm going to have  fun practicing.

i'm sure there will still be stamps that i decide to purchase. there are some awesome choices  designed by talented artists but i know that i'm going to enjoy making my own. i love that my artwork will be much more about my own personal visions.







-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
the 15 minute challenge this week included time spent on the the hexie quilt top and the TAST project (postcard) as well as the surprise applique project.
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - 


recent gifts include:
  • rain
  • the sunshine afterwords
  • a tasty (homemade) pad thai
  • a hot cup of ginger tea with honey

12 comments:

  1. Your stamp turned out wonderful! Oh, so many creative outlets! Wish I could do them all. Your art work inspires me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh, it's the tag you have made for pauline. she love it and had put it in her treasur box (which is not a box, but a ... arg ! I don't find the word, a sort of little bag closed by a zip)
    i love the threads you have used for the tast. they have just the perfect color for these fabrics.

    ReplyDelete
  3. your stamped creations are beautiful! I used to do quite a bit of stamping, but haven't in a while. Your post is inspiring. The pear stamp turned out great.
    Thanks for the links to see the various stitchery - the kites were very fun!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, stamp making, photography, embroidery stitches and quilting! Whan an awesome week (I'd be exhausted after all of that). Love the pear stamp and your creations using it.

    Thanks for linking up this week.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So many artsy stuff going on! You're are one creative lady Libby!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow. So much going on !

    I love the pear stamp but honestly all of your tags look fabulous. Very creative.

    Ive never seen butterfly stitch before . It looks pretty cool!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Now look what you've done! I want to get my stamps out and play! No room to do that and I need to be cleaning up the projects I already have scattered about. My youngest graduates from high school in a couple weeks and we'll have some family over to celebrate.
    Love the different textures in your opening photo.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for dropping by My blog.What a nice photo of metal with crochet/knitted piece.Could win a prize.Fun new stitch and really nice tags with stamps.Looks like you have been having a lot of fun-My kind of fun.Denise

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love your stamp! You must make more. I love tags and your are wonderful.
    Your stitching is fabulous, as always. Thank you for sharing your creativity - I love it ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful Libby!! I recognize one...and I love it!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving such wonderful comments!
    This pear stamp is freaking awesome! I love it and I hope you create more for your collection soon!
    You may certainly add my blog to your sidebar if you wish, that would be amazing.
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    ~Dawn

    ReplyDelete

i love knowing what your thoughts are and knowing that you've paid a visit if you have the time to drop a line or two.

i attempt to answer all comments and/or questions. if this is important to you make sure you are not set on no reply which leaves me no way to get back to you.

Followers