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.

Lily

Isn't she gorgeous?  This is a very dreamy image and makes a lovely centrepiece for a romantic, vintage style piece of artwork.

Oh, the Price of Beauty!

This card evolved slowly, first with the adorable 50's era ladies under the driers from the Stampsmith's "Those Were the Days" plate. As I looked at these two, I tried to imagine what was being discussed. Even though the gal on the left (clearly the younger of the two) is smiling, I thought it might be under duress. Then I remembered the "Coffee Gal" stamp, also from the 50's, and I put the two together.

Now, we all know why she has that smile on her face, despite the barrage of gossip being hurled at her. She found her own way to endure a morning at the beauty parlor!

Please visit my shop on Etsy for this card and more:

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

Breakfast with Audrey

Once again, I'm drawn to the Stampsmith images of Audrey Hepburn, who was a charmer and stunner!

This stamp is from the Audrey plate and captures an illustration of her character, Holly Golightly, from the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's". I purchased the "Tiffany & Co." stamp a while back from an unknown vendor, probably at Estelle's stamp show here in NY. I kept the overall feel of the card playful yet elegant, which to me, sums up Audrey in a nutshell!

This card is available for purchase in my shop on Etsy:
www.fishintheatticstudio.etsy.com

A Spring In Her Step

The weather determined my choice of stamp this week. As the sun shines it seemed appropriate to use a stamp with a happy feel to it. I Love Paris is such a stamp, with it's quirky design.

I made four notecards and wrapped them with organza ribbon and made a little tag.

Marrying the stamp with pastel designer papers continues the summery feel to the project.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

This stamp always makes me smile because it's so full of fun.  The words are from the "say it like it is" plate.  I've also done another version for my Dad for Father's Day (in June) which says "Hello Cheeky!" across the front so you can adapt it for both sexes.

A Leisurely Stroll

This particular Flapper (Flapper #2 UM plate) reminds me of Springtime. You can imagine this young woman taking a leisurely stroll alongside the riverbank or meeting her suitor for a walk in the park.

Live Life To The Max

Say It With Flair is a must have A4 sheet of words and phrases from The Stampsmith. Studying some of the smaller words it popped into my head that they could be used to make a pair of ear-rings.


Here I used 1"x1" Stampbord (more details at my Blog "Adorn"). Even with the addition of beads the ear-rings are very light.

Pairing up such words could be a thoughtful gift for a friend or as a reminder to ourselves to Live Life.

Glamour Girls

There's something about movie stars that we just can't resist, especially the ones that have that "it" factor! Two such stars, in my opinion, would be Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. They were both so beautiful and glamorous in such different ways. Marilyn naturally exuded pure sex appeal that drove men wild, and Audrey had a quiet, elegant beauty that made people just love her! I have used two Stampsmith images to honor these talented beauties!

The Marilyn (seated) stamp is available as a single, and shows her wearing a soft, floaty tulle skirt, which evokes the innocent side of her personality. It was easy to depict her as an angel, complete with wings!

The Audrey stamp comes as part of a plate, and shows her dressed as a beautiful bejeweled princess. I thought any little girl would dream of being just like her one day!