oh my carving goodness! traci and her 30 days of carving have brought my x-acto knife out of retirement and a new hobby to my hands. i needed this mindset switch. for me writing and drawing are matters of what to add to the paper, but carving requires thinking about what to take away. it is not easy to get a precise cut, but it doesn't matter; hand cut stamps have a really nifty effect no matter how they're done so it really encourages experimentation. and it doesn't have to take a lot of time, which is essential around here because we keep incurring snow days and holidays. with the kids home, my creating minutes have been scarce.
traci sent me to dollar tree for the erasers, which was a generous and risky thing to do, because we shop at the same one and i have a tendency to buy in bulk. indeed there they were, all with messages of positive reinforcement so i felt downright good about myself even when my first ones turned into the great rubber massacre. the larger oval erasers, though less effusive in their praise than the smaller ones, are better -- they are firmer, cut more easily and don't crumble. so if you have a dollar tree near you, those are the ones i'd recommend, along with the armful of feather dusters and self-adhesive hooks and valentine window clings and puzzles and gift bags and storage containers and all of those other dollar items i didn't know i needed.
thanks to everyone for being so gracious about list it tuesday -- sally has offered to assume the helm for now. i have to admit that i haven't quit making treasuries yet, though, so swing by and share an imaginary snow day with me if you'd like! have a great weekend!
40 comments:
ohhhhhhhh- i like!
You just amaze me girl :)
YAY! I'm glad I inspired you to carve stamps! I can't believe you do it all with an exacto! I use a linoleum carving tool. I love the oval erasers too but don't stack them! The printed side will stick to the other erasers.
oh my...sounds like you have the same shopping experience at dollar tree that i do. i gave up making a list for dollar tree years ago :)and now, i've been sparked towards a fun new tool & technique to enhance AND embellish my zine! THANK YOU MUCH FOR SHARING!!! ;)
i am drawn to the art myself, though i have always used potatoes! erasers...brilliant. yay, traci!
though i am in no shape to do so, i'd love to dive head on into this distraction for a while. cutting+inking+stamping+repetition= soothing.
dollar stores are dangerous. the 'one spot' at target has zapped hundreds from me, i'm sure of it.
As usual, fantastic. And the Dollar Store idea....awesome!
love the results! and that you are having so much, of course!
you are my carving hero! i love all of your new doodle stamps! thanks for the carving link (30 days of exacto heaven!) and for the dollar tree advice! xox
we just got back from another trip -- dollar tree might make me bankrupt! ;)
You might be interested to see Elin Waterson's collection of hand carved stamps. She did one a day in 2008 -- that's 366 stamps. It was a leap year.
http://willlovelogic.blogspot.com/search/label/P366
So inspiring!
I love it! I tried to do something like that before and I was a total disaster :P
oh these are so lovely Aimee......you are so brilliant. So nice of Traci to inspire you!
Love, Violette
what a great shift! i love jumping around a bit sometimes, to keep my brain fresh. and i now know that i must stay far, far away from the dollar tree...
supacool!
What a fun project! I carve on erasers too, lots of fun, but here in the Philippines, they don't last long. They eventually melt and stick together! Patsy from
HeARTworks
LOVE it!!! Especially the face stamp! Very clever!!!
oh aimee, i looooooove your carvings, every one...especially the face...& especially,
of course, your gorgeous face.
yes, yes. ohhhhhhhh,
i do hope to play together again
someday at the same table.
loooove to you xoxox
I am in love with these!!! Very inspiring, and I never would have thought to use children's erasers. What a score of a find!
Thanks for the idea and inspiration!
more inspiration... love these! hope I can "score" some art supplies at the Dollar Store!
Your "snowy day" activity was "food for thought" especially rehabilitative due to this:
http://silverlinings4me.blogspot.com/2011/01/step-on-crack-break-your.html
so very cool. i had no idea you made stamps out of erasers. now i want to try this.
happy snow days!
i had no idea i made stamps either - i just started this week! go to traci's blog if you want to see some really cool stamps -- she's carving one a day for 30 days. i've been working today with a lino cutter instead of an x-acto knife - super fun! (and less dangerous)
How do you get such nice background colors on your paper? I know you use an ink pad, but mine never look like that after I'm done!
thanks sassygirl! no special technique, it just takes a lot of experimentation and a lot of inky fingers! :)
I love the woman's face in blue...very cool!! :D
super fabulous!!
you. are. amazing.
Ahh, and so it begins. The great rubber massacre of 2011.
COOL! I really love the one with the face! I think these erasers are MUCH better served as your stamps. Dollar store, here I come!
Oooo... Inspiration! <3
I've been inspired by traci too, I need to get to carving this week!
My Dollar Tree Defense Fund
(defending against clutter-bug tendancies)
is that I only bring a five dollar bill in with me.
There I am - on aisle three -
eeinie-meenie-miney-moeing
over unnecessary plastic objects.
Red clown sunglasses vs. practical foil sheets.
Store-it project bags vs 6 crystal plastic swans.
A ten pack of gum or gigantic wall stickers?
Oh, the shopping cart editing agonies endured!
But now, thanks to you Aimee, I have a mission.
Off to find some erasers to carve.
GREAT IDEA!
You amaze me Aimee!!! You are a creative genius. Seriously. I tried making stamps and it did not go so well. At all! Pure talent you have.
we seem to be on parallel paths these days. I have busted out the carving stuff too, though we are playing with lino cuts again, the girls are making a slew of tiny stamps.
Yours are just as I would imagine--funny, cool, imaginative...
these are so so cool Aimee!
Oh Aimee, these are just great, it's made me want to have a go. Thanks. xxx
I like the prints very much, especially the face. There's a Dollar Tree 5 minutes away from my house so I think I'll have to make a special trip for the erasers.
Those are fabulous! Now you are ready for letterboxing...have you ever tried it before? It's a great family activity. Kind of like a treasure hunt with the treasure being hand carved stamps (ok, not all of them are hand carved but my favorite letterbox discoveries are the hand carved ones). Check it out at Atlas quest or google "letterboxing". I also think there is a cool app for finding local letterboxes. Happy carving!
Awesome prints! Traci has me carving as well...too much fun!
I love love love the faces!!!
Howdy,
You've inspired me to do some eraser carving.
Sally is still hosting LIT List It Tuesday - and I'm playing. What about you? Are you going to play anymore?
Peace,
LuLu
Fantastic!
You might enjoy this stamp carving clip from my Quilting Art's DVD.
It doesn't go in to how I do curved lines - simply with a linoleum carving tool. One more tip - move the stamp rather than your cutting too when making curved lines.
I find stamp carving to be a lovely meditation.
Yours are wonderful!
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