Kansas City

Today Heather and I got to KC and met our editor for our next book, Kent. We had a great time shopping for props for the Photo Shoot tomorrow. It was Heathers and mine first trip to Hen House, an adorable grocery store. We also had a Valomilk for the first time today. Is a melted marshmallow covered in chocolate. It is very yummy!

Teaching/Photo Shoot

Last week Heather and I were in Red Deer teaching at their Teachers Convention.

Right now we are on our way to the photo shoot for our next book! We are very excited to see how the pictures will turn out as we are counting on lots of photos for this book!

The Publishing Diet

Heather and I are in the final stages of writing the first draft of our next book. This means lots of time in front of the computer, our sewing machines, and many decisions to be made! During these weeks eating is not exactly a priority. Here are my "must haves" for going through any busy time.

Coffee: This is the most important! Start your day off right with at least one cup of coffee, however you like to take yours!

Grinch Mug: To let everyone know you are in no mood to mess around!

Doritos: Any salty snack will do, this one is my fav. They're great for when you are on a roll and can't stop to eat a real meal.

M&M's: mmmm yes the chocolate! A good treat to be eating when sewing and you need to keep your hands clean. The peanut ones are the best ;)

Mentos: For the moments when you can't remember the last time you brushed your teeth.

Coke: A great caffeine alternative to coffee, and lots of sugar to keep you alert and working!

Custom Name Stamps

After making my first stamp and being pretty pleased with it I decided to try something a little more detailed. I'm thinking these will make great gifts for any creative friend, carving out the persons name and including a personal image or design specific to that person. This one I made for my friend Mark Porcina who makes pottery mugs. 

Carving My Own Stamps

For Christmas this year I received a stamp making kit. This kit included Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's book Carve Stamp Play, and a block printing kit by Speedball. 

Following the basic instructions in the chapter "How to Carve a Rubber Stamp" I attempted to make my own little creation. For my first stamp I made sure to pick a very simple design with only strait lines, no curves. This is mostly because, knowing my ambitious self, I have often picked first projects in a new art form that are too difficult. I have found it is important to have success at the start, this insures that I will not get frustrated and throw that project into a bag in the closet never to be seen again!

 

After carving out my "arrow" stamp I obviously needed to try it out! I found i needed to stamp it a few times to find "imperfections" that I need to go back and tidy up. You can best see this on the red paper.