hand carved stamp

7/2021

pattern design

Feeling really tired. Lola is pushing my arm and preventing me from typing because she wants to be scratched. It was a terrible cold week with lots of rain which turned to ice overnight and for two days I was not able to unlock our gate and had to use car entrance to go out. Thankfully that did not freeze. I think it’s time for this winter to end, because now I feel I really had enough. Tired.

I am also tired of Instagram and constantly trying to keep up with every day posting, so this week I wasn’t posting or engaging in any way and I have to say that it felt good. I had to ask myself why do I keep trying to win likes and followers and to tailor my posts and accounts to what people like. It makes me frustrated and feels fake and I don’t achieve anything. So, I made a conclusion that it does not really matter and that I should really focus on what makes me happy and stop thinking about how to please the people.

In that context, I was mostly drawing on iPad and concentrating on Spoonflower challenges. My Ox pattern ended up on 82 place which is by far the best placement ever and it makes me really happy. To celebrate that, I created a coloring page based on the design, which I give for free and you can download it here.

Here are the two pattern that I submitted for the next two Spoonflower challenges. The first one I already mentioned last week, it’s challenge called patchwork and my entry is this one:

I think it will make a great cover from my sofa, so I am planning to order it very soon, just waiting for a couple more designs to order samples at the same time.

The second design I just submitted today is for the talisman challenge and I really spent a lot of time on it, choosing colors and making all the little details work together. I am still not completely happy with it but I think it looks bold and interesting:

And, as I said, I really enjoy drawing on iPad and exploring what can be done. Getting an iPad was the best purchase I made lately. This one was just a quick play, but possibilities are almost endless.

And finally, today I managed to squeeze in a little carve and print time:

That’s it. I listened to a good instructional presentation in Flourish hosted by Bonnie Christine, about web site design and message you need to convey and how to structure pages and links. I did learn quite a bit and will be working on implementing some of it soon. Still struggling with my page but I am working on it whenever I have time. A page a week will do and I will get there eventually.

#carveDecember: Days 25-31

Stamp Carving

I promised the other day I would show the rest of the stamps. There are seven left. The first one is a double-sided garbage stamp:

Then there is the only one of the large ones which is not a snowflake but a flower:

And then this one that I particularly like, also a garbage one, but very nice I think because it can be a flower or a butterfly 🙂

The next one is a snowflake which was quite successful and I like it a lot.

Then, there is this garbage one that I didn’t find very successful when I first stamped it, but then I realized that the leaf shape is very nice on its own and it can be used as a leaf or as a flower:

Another very simple garbage stamp, but if used with imagination, can produce interesting pattern:

And finally the one that you have already seen and maybe wathed the video, the last snowflake for this December:

I downloaded a new program for blogging, because I was extremely annoyed with WP interface and lack of responsivenes. The program is called Blogo, it’s available for Mac and I-devices only (which is a pitty, because I have an android phone, so I will have to post from computer if I want to avoid frustration of WP app) and it works well, I am still getting used to it so I cannot say if it will make me completely satisfied, but for the time being (two days) it looks good.

That’s it for the second day of this year. I am on my usual month-off, so no frustration about work and lack of time for art. Ah, the freedom…

#carveDecember: Days 5-6

Stamp Carving

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I apologize for the quality of the photos… Since Monday I don’t see any daylight when at home, so this is the best I can do. On Monday I carved the snowflake – I wanted to practice carving circles, so I thought of a snowflake consisting of circles only. It was difficult, but it did not turn out so bad. Yesterday I had very little time, so I had to satisfy myself with a little garbage stamp, which I carved probably in less than five minutes. It still looks ok, I think.

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Last night we went to a local Christmas market to admire decorations and drink some mulled wine. It was very cold, but we found a place next to a wood stove where they baked some pizza-like Hungarian specialty called kemences langos. Of course, we had a serving of that to go with our wine and enjoyed the warmth coming from the stove.

This morning I submitted my application for a new driving license, so one more worry is crossed out from my list and there are only two and a half days until Saturday. Tomorrow is a ‘mother’s doctor’ day and on Friday an ’embassy’ day. I am becoming progressively more relaxed and happy with myself as days go by. All will be good!

#carveDecember: Days 3-4

Stamp Carving

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These are the stamps I did for days 3 and 4 of #carveDecember. Snowflakes again – I so much enjoy carving them.

The weekend was good: I did run both days and enjoyed time out in the sun, despite the cold. Today I got my lab results and apart from the chronic neutropenia that I already know about, there was nothing else special. So, I am pretty ok. This week is going to be very busy, with lots of work and additional errands, so I am bracing myself and counting days to Saturday. There will be very little time for art in the morning and little in the evening, but I hope I will manage a quick stamp every day and maybe some additional mandala doodling. Four and a half days left to go… Breathe…

 

#carveDecember: Day 2/31

Stamp Carving

Here is one more snowflake:

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I also started another mandala yesterday and worked on it a bit today before heading out for an adventure 😉

Got up early, went to the doctor’s, they took my blood, I got my driving license certificate, so everything looks good. I am feeling exhausted though. The weather is funny, not so cold, but terribly windy. It was raining when we parked to go to the doctor’s office and even more rain when we got out. And then there was a lot of sunshine when we arrived back home. Typical.

So, no gym even today. I feel tired and with a bit of headache, like I am getting sick, so better not risk it. I am going to have a short rest before I make popcorn and install myself in front of TV to watch Netflix. Oh my… I hope I will be better tomorrow so I can go, you know where… 🙂

#carveDecember: Day 1 of 31

Stamp Carving

It’s December and it’s time for carving stamps for 31 days. It’s a challenge started by Julie Balzer from Balzer Designs where you carve rubber stamps during the month of December and display them using #carveDecember tag. I joined the fun last year and I was so excited about it that I invested into a new carving tool this year and was impatiently waiting to put it to daily use from today.

I’ve been obsessed with snowflakes lately, so the logical thing to do was to carve a snowflake:

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There you go, the fist stamp for this December.

Otherwise, it’s been really cold last couple of days and I rarely went out. Today my gym pass starts to be valid, and I should move my butt and head for the gym, but that will not happen, as I feel tired and warm and peaceful, so no way… Tomorrow I have an appointment with a doctor for my annual blood test and driving license certificate. I have to get up early and get generally upset with driving, finding parking, meeting people, and similar nonsense (I am an introvert, remember), so I give myself leave to not move from home. Tomorrow afternoon I will go to the gym, I promise. And tonight, it’s baked pumpkin with nut butter and honey and Netflix. I do love my winter nights inside…