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

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.

Etsy Favorites - SeasonsGleanings

Locavores Dream Spiral

"Farm fresh card designs" is SeasonsGleanings tagline, and their garden inspired greeting cards are just too cute and clever to keep to myself! I love this shop for a variety of reasons. The first is obvious - I have a love for all things gardening and the beauty of the harvest. The second is because I've always loved playing with natural materials and making patterns. Be it at the beach with shells and different colored sand, to quiet woodland moments arranging leaves, acorns and twigs in various patterns. The desire to arrange natural forms really resonates with me. I also appreciate this seller's efforts to be green, not only with their thumb ;) but with their packaging and processing. Be sure to check out their shop and buy a card or two for the green thumb in your life! http://www.etsy.com/shop/SeasonsGleanings

Asparagus Mandala

Hap-pea Birthday

In their own words: "While growing up, my mother never had to coax me to clean my plate. Never a picky eater, I was BORN loving food! I'm particularly fond of all types of fresh produce, whether growing it, preparing it, sharing it, eating it or photographing it; I am unabashedly obsessed with garden and farm grown food! I've grown much of our own food for over 30 years, and worked on several organic farms in Whatcom County in Northwest Washington state for the past 15.

A slight detour from farming during those years led me to start a local gleaning effort, which turned into Small Potatoes Gleaning Project, which I ran for about 8 years, after which it became a program of the Bellingham Food Bank. This combination of experiences inspired me to create unique card designs using fruits and veggies to spell out messages for all occasions. Season’s Gleanings cards are inspired by the vibrant diversity of crops that grow in Whatcom county in northwest Washington state.

Designs are created using fruits, vegetables, and other gathered plants from forest edge to river’s bank, then photographed to make cards that bring delight to young and old, for any occasion, all year round! I use the greenest materials I can find, including 100% green energy in our home office where my cards are made, and strive to use as many local services as possible in the production of my cards. The messages of Season’s Gleanings cards are enduring, and made with joy and a deep reverence for the planet that sustains us, along with the hope that cards will be kept or shared for years of continued enjoyment. Season’s Gleanings is committed to food justice and donates a percentage of profits to local projects working to strengthen our food system so that all may be nourished."

Peas on Earth

Clear acrylic mounts for unmounted rubber stamps

Clear acrylic mounts are a great tool to compliment my unmounted floral rubber stamps. With a little double sided tape, you can adhere stamps temporarily to the mount in a set pattern to be repeated as a border or intricate pattern. The best part is that you can use and re-use the mount as much as you want. It allows for more storage space for new stamps rather than bulky mounts. Another asset of acrylic mounts is the ability to see where you are stamping.

How do you like to use rubber stamps?

Working with unmounted stamps

Grow Your Own Flower Garden stamp set of 8

The more I learn about rubber stamping, the more I get into the usage end of things as well as the design and production. As you may know from previous posts, I've been wrestling with mounts, trying to find the perfect one and the best way to print/varnish/etc. them. I am now discovering on message boards and stamp sites how many people prefer stamps to be unmounted for easier storage, less cost and usability. One woman used unmounted face stamps to wrap around her fabric doll faces (the effect was quite beautiful!). Another stamper talked about how she liked unmounted stamps because she was very particular about her mounts - in her case, they had to all be the same exact brand of wood mount. Many others liked to use them with acrylic mounts and EZMount. Looking into this technique, I see this would be a marvelous way to use my flower garden stamp sets like the one above. You can attach several stamps on one block creating a pattern.

This makes me want to take mounts out of the equation all together. Kristin Lee's stamps were unmounted and I have sold several of the unmounted flower garden sets. (I need to make more!). Now I want to buy some acrylic blocks and play! My stamps are thicker rubber than the ones in the video and that extra thickness gives you the cushioning you need so you won't need that layer of foam. I could check out the EZMount, but I think that double sided tape will work just fine. In fact, I've got an ATG gun and that will work even better because it sticks great then rubs off like rubber cement.

Yay! So that's that. I've got some new one of a kind stamps to share and I'm going to be listing them unmounted. Some sweet stamps are coming soon - stay tuned!

Greeting Cards by Kristin Lee

Blank Card - Blue and Green Abstract by Kristin Lee Cards

Round abstract stamp by Green Garden Stamps

It's always such a thrill to see what people are making with my stamps! Kristin of Greeting Cards by Kristin Lee just contacted me to share this marvelous card she made with my round abstract stamp. Isn't it so lovely and fun? Be sure to visit her shop for more beautiful, handmade greeting cards for a variety of different occasions!

Large ornate hand carved herb and vegetable stamps

What's better than fresh tomatoes and basil fresh from the garden? Not a whole lot! My vegetable and herb stamps combine a botanical reference with a folk art/wood cut looking style. Check the rest out here and feel free to suggest more that you'd like to see!

Search more vegetable stamps for sale at Etsy.com.

Large ornate hand carved flower stamps

This poppy stamp is an example of my more ornate work on a larger scale, carving botanical studies of flowers with a wood cut/folk art look. To see more in this collection, visit my shop
Green Garden Stamps.