I am taking Stamp Carving 101 with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. This is an online course where you work at your own pace. I love it! Check it out. My friend Linda Kunsman and I signed up for this course at the same time, on purpose! We decided it would be a great way to inspire each other and that we would also make a tag for each other based on our lessons. What a great idea, Linda!! 

Lesson 4 is about making a series or set of stamps. Julie showed the small banner shape above at the beginning of her lesson, but then went on to make a set of stamps that were more in a chevron shape with a pointed top. I fell in love with this banner shape and went on to make my set this way. Below is my test paper. Julie suggested test printing as you carved, to see if any changes were needed. This was a great idea as I often changed or added cuts, depending on my test print.

My tools and my final hand carved stamp set.

The two tags I made - one for me and one for Linda K! The plain pink banner above is the 1st layer for some of my stamping.

The instruction is great and I am really enjoying the exercises. Even though I have carved stamps before and taught carving before, I am learning a lot! Julie has just announced she will write a BOOK about stamp carving due out in the Fall of 2013! Hope you are well and squeezing in some creative time . . . 

Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.

  ~ Grandma Moses