New cards

This is a 5 1/2" by 4 1/4" card

Here is a card made by Tressa....a great artist....and...my mom. And here is how she made it. First she grabbed the Tea for two stamp DL 24 G, and stamped it on acetate. You could stamp it and take it to the copy shop and copy it on to acetate. Next find a piece of paper to use as a background. This floral is a great background that harkens back to the 1940's. She ran the acetate through the xyron or you could use some double sided tape...hidden of course. Find paper that complements the background colors. Take a circle cutter and cut a circle in the front of your card. Adhere the Tea for two image/background so you can see it through the circle (that you cut out earlier)...center it. Stamp Good friends, EL 03 B, onto an extra piece of the some cardstock that you used for your card. Trim around your Good friends stamped image. Matte it on white and position it under the Tea for two image. tah dahhhh you are finished....beautiful!

Stampaway 2009 slide show!

Here is a slide show from Stampaway 2009....Both my mom and I are in it from our class. Yippy....how fun is that!

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/WS8dM7cF

Who is Max?

Okay, I have had many e-mails about Max....and who is he? Max is a stuffed boy doll. He is a character from Where the wild things are. I bought him when I lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is with me on my travels. He has been to Europe a few times, and from coast to coast here in the USA. He has been to Stampaway, Artfest, and when I teach...he is there. It's a lot of fun. So now you know who Max is. My mother has a bear named London Bear...or LB for short. By the way, she bought it in London while we were there.

And bear makes 3

And bear makes 3.....our local store

I know, I talk a lot about And bear makes 3, however, it is our wonderful local stamp store. They are located in Moore, Oklahoma. Hanging out there is a lot of fun. Vicki and the customers are great. I took some photos ( big shock there ) and I had Max with me as well. (another shocker!)

Making rubber stamps....

The saw, Max, and a bowl full of cherries......

This is the double sided cushion the rubber and.....Max.

After 11 minutes the rubber is vulcanized (cooked) and ready to be trimmed and cushioned (See photo above). The cushion is double sided.....sticky on both sides. Next stop the saw (See photo above). I cut out the rubber/cushion. Our stamps are wood mounted. We grab the wood...that we cut ourselves....index them....stick on a price code....We place the rubber on the wood then it is ready to be sent to you.

B line design stamps (out of Mustang, Oklahoma) have been such great friends. They were a lot of help when we were getting ready for Stampaway. (and always for that matter) xoxo

So I hope this has given you all a little look at how we make our stamps.

How to make a rubber stamp?

Max with my matrix boards>

Raw rubber on a matrix board...and Max>

Raw rubber and Max>

This is the vulcanizer with Max>

Okay, here is a little info on how rubber stamps are made...a little simplified....of course....I am leaving out the blood, sweat, and tears....I do not want to give you nightmares. I start with the images I like and the ones that speak to me. Some of these images are pre-1920ish images, some are sketched by friends and customers....and me. We have some carved images and some are from my travels. I take them, all arranged on a 7x11 sheet of paper, to a place in the city (OKC). They make me a matrix board...a mold see photo above. After a nifty phone call and a 12 mile trek...Yes.... I have my boards!( It's a lot like Christmas every time I get new boards.) I rush to the vulcanizer ( an oven with a car jack) flip the on button and wait patiently for it to warm up to nearly 300 degrees. When it is ready I grab some raw rubber (photo above) and lay it out on top on the board and pop it into the vulcanizer.