HOORAY FOR GIVEAWAYS!!

Strawberry hand carved rubber stamp

Personalized hand carved rubber stamp

I'm celebrating my birthday with a give-away! Everybody loves free stuff, right? I'll be getting spoiled on my bday (May 12th) visiting with my best friend, so why not share the love? Here's how you can enter to win either of these stamps. The heart stamp will have whatever two initials you'd like.

* Leave a comment here on the blog saying which stamp you'd prefer - 1 entry
* Follow the blog >>> - 1 entry
* Follow Green Garden Stamps on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/GreenGardenStamps - 1 entry

In your comment, let me know if you also followed the blog and/or my facebook page. If you are already following either, let me know and that will still count as extra entries. For each of the above, I'll include your name in the hat. So let's say you do all three, I'll put three slips of paper with your name on it into a hat. You can better your odds of winning by doing all three.

PLEASE NOTE: I'll need some way to contact the winner, so please include your email or a way to contact you (for example, if you have an Etsy shop you can leave that link and I'll send you a convo through Etsy).

I'll choose the winner on May 13th and I'll let you all know here who the winner is. Best of luck and spread the word to your crafty buddies!

Signs of Spring

Bouquet in vase hand carved stamp

This new stamp of a bouquet in a vase was inspired by this hand built, raku fired vase I made in art school. I've always been a far superior 2 dimensional artist, and most of my efforts in 3 dimensional art ended in disaster (you don't even want to know the ridiculousness I produced in my sculpture class). But this vase, out of all of my pottery work, was and still is my pride and joy. I love it most when it is filled with forsythia which happens to be in full bloom!

Lady slipper hand carved stamp

The lady slipper is one of my favorite flowers because it is so elusive. Spotting one in the woods feels like discovering a rare prize. This lady is a true independent spirit - try and transplant her out of the woods and into the garden and she'll put up a fight (or downright refuse).

Along with the forsythia and the lady slippers (who are quietly emerging in woodlands unseen by human eyes), the daffodils and hyacinth are up, the crocuses are singing, the robins have returned and the peepers peep at night. Spring has really sprung - it's official!

Visit the shop for more hand carved rubber stamps at http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenGardenStamps

My Crafty Customers - Kay's Kreative Korner

Kay of Kay's Kreative Korner is what I would call a "master scrapper". Some people (who don't know much about it or how it has evolved) might still be thinking of scrapbooking as a kitschy project to do in a weekend. A few photos here, a few stickers there, some pretty background paper and you're done. Well, not Kay. Her designs are truly inspired works of art. She sells scrapbooking embellishments in her Etsy shop like these gorgeous butterflies you see below.

Butterfly Embellishments Moonlight Serenade

In her latest blog post, she shares with her readers this remarkable layout featuring her adorable dog Toby who is, apparently, quite the bird chaser! There are so many design elements and techniques used in this one page that I encourage you to read her blog post to find out more about her process.

Kay purchased several of my DIY flower garden stamps including this pretty petal stamp.

Large striped leaf or petal stamp

Below you'll see a close up of how she used this stamp. Isn't it gorgeous? Here's a bit of information about how she used the stamp in her own words...

"I stamped the petal stamp with Staz-On ink on a transparency, cut it out & then with a white gel pen I added white dots along the inside flower design. I then cut the petals in a bit more & bent them upwards for added dimension. I finalized the flower by adding a black Sultan Gem by Prima in the center. I also tucked a bit of dried copper baby's breath--also known as gyp underneath my flower embellies."

I can't wait to see what other creative expressions she comes up with in the future with the other stamps she purchased! Many thanks to Kay for being such an inspiration and for being a great example of how scrapbooking has exploded into an intriguing and stunning mixed media art form.

Please visit Kay's shop for scrapbooking supplies and embellishments and be sure to visit her blog to see her latest creations.

Etsy - http://www.etsy.com/shop/kaylori77
Blog - http://kayskreativekorner.blogspot.com/

April Showers

Umbrella

Rain drops

Fluffy cloud

Rainy Day hand carved rubber stamp set

This time of year, I welcome the rain because I know it's setting the stage for healthy, vibrant spring gardens in May! There's just nothing like the first inklings of spring - the tranquil sounds and moodiness of rainy days, the daffodils and hyacinth blooming, and the robins fluttering about.

To purchase any of my individual stamps or rainy day sets, please visit my shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenGardenStamps.