This is an interesting, and insightful challenge posed by Michelle this month. Looking back, I can’t believe it’s been 15 months since I started taking part in the Street Team Crusades. That was the turning point for me, artistically. Each challenge provided a new adventure, a new experience, a little more confidence and then last month I took an online painting class – Layer Love – with fellow-Crusader, Julie Prichard (Land of Lost Luggage). Who knew?
I started last year, Crusade #18 – “Cut it out” – when Michelle showed us not only how to create stencils and masks, but also how to go about carving our own stamps! Woo! That was the start of my ongoing affair with handcarved stamps…
Here’s my first ever attempt, using a purple rubber eraser and a craft knife. I created this harlequin stamp!
A bit pathetic, but everyone was most encouraging and I went on to buy some carving tools and a bit of lino from the Scrapstore to see if I really could get the hang of it… Along came these primitive stamps:
That was when I decided to invest in a decent set of carving tools and some ‘proper rubber’ which I bought from the lovely, helpful folk at Stampeaz.com. Last night, with this Crusade in mind and the words of my pal Barbara echoing in my mind, I sat and created a step by step tutorial and carved these three stamps:
The Ant, henceforth to be known as Adam, was inspired by a drawing of a rubber ant which appeared on my blog last week, as part of a mail art envelope. The lines with rounded ends – look a bit like match sticks – were inspired by a stamp I saw on a piece of artwork by Hermine. The red foam Deco-style rose/horn is something I’ve wanted to carve for a while now and will be better suited to stamping with paint I expect, probably on fabric!
Nowadays, I have the confidence to carve something if I want/need it in a hurry, instead of searching high and low online for it. I have also carved personal stamps for good friends who have asked me to… All I have to do now is save for a bunch of spray paints and a stylus tool – and a dry summer would help! I’d say I’ve come a heck of a long way since March last year! Thanks to Michelle and all the Crusaders for helping me on my artistic journey. xoxoxo
Altered Art & Stuff... 
p
/ July 21, 2009adam ant … cool stamp.. hey.. i’m a good friend hint hint nudge nudge
p.s. cant believe who came in my mind when i read your post
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Ant
jean
/ July 21, 2009oo i like them all but that ANT!!!! wonderful!!!
Michelle Ward
/ July 21, 2009rosie – terrific post! thanks for sharing your story with the team. so cool to hear you felt a turning point by becoming a player with us! fun to see how you’ve grown as a carver, and that you turn to it when you need an image. even cooler to witness your confidence and growth. bravo girl!!
Kitty
/ July 22, 2009Crusades? I have to look that up 🙂 I’ve been carving stamps for the past year. Here are the most recent: http://slovoni.blogspot.com/2009/07/domace-stampiljke.html
Your ant is great! And those “matches” look like poppy seed-pods 🙂
Bye, Kitty
Barbara Hagerty
/ July 22, 2009Hi there. Left you a comment on this post in facebook, but I liked it so much I had to stop by and comment here, also! GREAT stuff, Rosie!! I love them all, from Adam (didn’t he have a rock band in the ’80s?) to your matchsticks, which I love much more than the commercial stamp that inspired you. You rock, Rosie!! XOXO
Fiona Whitehead
/ July 22, 2009Fab work Rosie – my fave is the Believe one. I’ve been wanting to do my own stamps for ages – wish I had your motivation. Can you bottle it and send me some! lol! xx
Fiona Whitehead
/ July 22, 2009Rosie – you’ve inspired me to join in with the Knock Off – I had great fun altering an earlier piece I’d done. Ta matey! x
wanda miller
/ July 22, 2009very very cool, brave one.
Bleubeard and Elizabeth
/ July 24, 2009I came looking for your Buried Treasure and found a whole lot more. Did some digging myself, and found some pretty cool posts.
Jane
/ July 25, 2009Your stamps are awesome!! I am a stamp-carving girl myself – it is FUN!
Cath Sheard
/ July 26, 2009Fantastic – and how cool to carve what you need, right when you need it. I think that’s just awesome.
Regina
/ July 26, 2009I have been putting off carving my own stamps, but you are giving me another dose of inspiration!
I really like your Believe stamp.
Julie Prichard
/ July 27, 2009Well done, Rosie! I really enjoy the posts for this crusade and yours is no exception! You have a great collection of stamps there!
Melisa
/ July 28, 2009You’ve certainly come a long way! These stamps are great. They’re exactly the kind I like to use. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to make them yourself? It really makes the art your own.
inge bekaert
/ July 30, 2009Hello Rosie,
I’m also a crusader and I experienced quite the same as you the past two years. it’s amazing how you can progress this way !
I like your carved stamps, the ant is great, but the “matches” look like stylized flowers !
I followed the layer love class too ( I’m still catching up on the videos, but practized a lot on the second lesson).
I really, really love this layerd backgrounds of Julie and your stamps will look great on these backgrounds.
I can already image your ” matches” embossed with white embossing powder, layering all the layers of paint on top of it and then ironing the embossing powder off… They would look great on the “red” background as I see how nice they come out stamped in red !
Just let me know when you combined your carvings with paint !
greetings from Belgium
Inge
wanda miller
/ July 31, 2009these are absolutely wonderful, rosie. thanks for sharing. wanda