Summertime

This quick card uses one of the images from Flappers No2. I came across the word tile which seemed to go perfectly with the photo of the laid back sun seeker. Although I imagine she prefers sitting in the shade to protect her lily white skin!!!

Stampsmith DT -The Look

I certainly wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of this .......

The quote is from Bette Davis.

Enchanted

A simple card with Serena. Using emulsion (latex) paint I stamped onto a black cardbase, added Serena, highlighting the flowers with a watersoluble crayon in lime and finishing touch of a word tile and some organza ribbon.
(The organza ribbon has created a pattern as it reflected off the glossy cardstock)

I give you.....The Queen!

As a UK resident, I've had fun using this stamp to send to people overseas over the years.  I've used it for general greetings and in swaps and it's also perfect ATC size.

Add any relevant greeting, not just birthday.

Dance Card

Another beautiful image from Flappers No 1 sheet. I wonder if that is a letter or her dance card she is holding?

City of Romance

This week I am revisiting the Paris plate. It is such a beautiful plate with images useful for artwork with a feminine or masculine feel to it. The cards here use the Arc de Triomphe stamp and one of the Eiffel Tower stamps. Both cards are shown in further detail on my own Blog, Adorn.

Adore

I think this stamp would make a very good wedding card or Valentine card.  

Bohemian Girl

Adriana is my stamp of choice this week. She is available as a single unmounted or as part of the Haunting Eyes plate. She really is captivating.

On the oversized tag I layered various papers alongside some stamping. Adriana is a sizeable stamp and I wanted her to be the main focus of the tag. Detailed description on how I made this tag are available at my Blog Adorn.

Butterfly Kisses

This is such a cute stamp.  The first sample is combined with one of the gorgeous pages from Webster's Pages so I just couldn't go wrong there! 

and the second one was made for a tag swap that I'm taking part in.  The words are also Stampsmith.

Parisian Love Affair

This anniversary card using a stamp from the Paris um plate. Alongside the generous sized stamps there are also useful phrases, a mini map of Paris and cancellation marks. Can you tell I'm a fan of this set?!

Fruit Crate Labels as Art!

Many years ago, I attended my first stamp show here on Long Island. I had been stamping a few years, having been introduced to SU through a friend who was a demonstrator. So, when I heard about the show, I was thrilled by the thought of a room filled with stamps, ink, paper and more! One of the booths at the show caught my eye, and when I took a closer look, I was amazed by the stamped images of what looked like vintage photographs. A woman at the booth came over to say hello and began to explain about the stamps and how to use them. I bought two of her stamps, excited by the creative possibilities that lay ahead. That was the day I met Estelle, owner of the Stampsmith!

One of the stamps I purchased that day was Embarcadero from the Fruit Crate Labels sheet, an image of pears on a vintage crate label. At the early part of the 1900's, they would be attached on each end of a wooden fruit crate that was used in shipping produce, to identify the contents and the seller. The company would have beautifully illustrated labels designed for this use. Today, they can be found at antique shops and flea markets. Being a lover of vintage ephemera, I have many original fruit labels framed and hanging in my kitchen.

I stamped the image in black and over stamped with red script. Patterned paper and stamped pear cutouts make up the background, and a butterfly sticker becomes an embellishment.

Rusty Parisian Gates

It is well known that The Stampsmith's Flappers are firm favourites of mine but so is the Paris plate. So often with Parisian stamps we see the same images repeated whereas this plate has something that is just a bit different. For this piece I wanted to play up on a rusty appearance. The details are on my Blog, Adorn.

An apology....

Here's one from the "Ooh Baby" plate which is well worth a look.  Those babies have got some fab expressions which sum up so many occasions!

Fun in the Sun!

It's almost summer here in New York, so I've got "beach" on my mind!

The Stampsmith has a fabulous stamp sheet called "Those Were the Days", and this lovely trio of bathing beauties is from that sheet. I've stamped them in teal ink and combined them, once again,with a 1950's era ad from my collection. I thought these ladies had their big brimmed sun hats in common, but as you can see, they're enjoying their day at the beach in very different ways!

Abigail's Party

The Stampsmith have a vast array of Flapper stamps, sold either as A4 sheets or individual unmounted. This particular stamp is from Flappers # 1 plate.
I could imagine that she is either heading out to a party or it could possibly be her own party maybe even a birthday party. With the Flapper stamps you can get caught up in imagining who these women were.

Think of me....

Here's Lucille in a typical Lucille pose!

Time With The Family

Family Tea (unmounted single stamp) evokes a bygone era, where life was lived at a more gentle pace and family was what mattered most.

For this mini hanging I did not tint the photo but it is a stamp which particularly lends itself to tinting with Distress Inks.

Romance & Togetherness

This card was created using the Stampsmith's "Wanda" single unmounted stamp. It's actually a strip of portraits in photo, solarized and artistic versions. In other words, three faces in one!

I only used the photo image, stamping her in black ink and collaging the image with a vintage image from my collection. I thought these two ladies looked a lot alike, so I surrounded them with the romance of Paris!

This second card is of Lucy and the Gang from the Stampsmith's "Lucy" plate. In this scene, they are the best of friends, traveling through life "Together"!

Hollywood Glamour

The Stampsmith's Bellydancer represents all out glamour. I wanted sparkle and shimmer but still to retain the essence of the stamp which is old style Hollywood Glamour which was always elegant and tasteful.
For brief instructions on how I made this large tag, go to my Blog, Adorn.

No regrets...

I think she certainly looks like she has no regrets.

I'm embarrassed to say that yet again, I can't remember who this is.  Perhaps someone could remind me? I think my brain must be fading!

Classical Beauty

Alongside Serena and Maude, Ophelia is another stamp image which is instantly associated with The Stampsmith. Ophelia comes in tiny, regular and large and for the card below I used the regular size.

The cardbase is a mask used in conjunction with heritage emulsion (latex) paints to create an aged, chalky appearance. Ophelia is stamped onto ordinary cardstock not glossy cardstock. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice the scrap of text is German and not Danish!

Audrey

I've recently acquired these gorgeous canvas tags from Maya Road and found a perfect opportunity to use one with this stamp if Audrey Hepburn.  

Three Babies in Song!

I created this baby gift tag set, using three of the adorable babies from the Stampsmith's "Oh Baby" plate. I thought these little guys looked like they were a singing trio. They are too cute to resist!

Each tag measures 3" x 6", and is cut from three coordinating card stocks. They are collaged using various patterned papers, hand stamped designs (baby feet, musical notes), and copies of baby images from my vintage ephemera collection. Each hangs from a ribbon of vintage seam binding, and can be attached to a gift box or strung together as a nursery garland.

These tags are available for sale in my Etsy shop:

http://www.fishintheatticstudio.etsy.com/

The "From Russia With Love" um plate is certainly a must have for anyone who has a particular fascination with Russia. That said, there are many images of the Romanov children, who were very photogenic and those particular images could be used at any time of the year on a greetings card.

For this mini canvas I selected the oval image of Alexandra and Nicholas and also the invitation to a masquerade ball featuring a performance by Nicholas' last lover before marrying Alexandra. No, I do not have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Romanovs', all the information pertaining to each image is supplied by The Stampsmith.

More details on how I made this canvas available at my Blog, Adorn.

Fleur

Serena must be one of the most recognisable images from The Stampsmith. There are two Serena's available, both equally beautiful.

For this hanging I wanted a dreamy look to echo the faraway look in Serena's eyes.