Stampotique Originals Blog

You did it AGAIN! Is this lady talented or WHAT? Geesh! Jo’s a mother of two, wife to one, keeper of home, chief cook and bottle washer and STILL finds time to make her wonderful and inspiring art. Here’s our PEGGY done up so pretty. The flower is from Maryse Carrier here. Thank you Jo! You can find Jo’s blog here.

Jacob Avila is 4 years old today. He is our 3rd born grandchild and very special indeed. Jacob has a gentle spirit, a great sense of humor and loves animals. When he was just a wee little man he would climb the jungle gym in his backyard, keeping up with his older brother. His mother and I would chuckle at his little leg muscles helping him climb the steep side, and holding our breath at the same time! Jacob is a snuggler and lover of Pooh Bear and BEN 10.
I will always remember you asking me, “Omma, got gum?” And you love having coffee with Mommy and me. Thank you for being YOU, Jacob. Grandpy and I wish you a very happy birthday and a fun filled year to come. May God bless you and keep you safe. Thank you for being a part of our lives. XXOO

She does it again! Very little color, but yet the final look is wonderful.
Black and white is perfect for STRIPED SHIRTS and the hint of pink in the flower makes everything POP. You can click on these for a larger view.

Here’s another great piece of work by Sue. Ink up those tags and go to town! Tags are fun to work with because they are small and fast. You can make a ton of them and tie them together with ribbons, string or even use the binder rings. They are easy to mail and the recipient has lots of pieces to look at and enjoy.

Here’s the front cover of a fall journal created by the UK’s infamous SUE RODDIS. Love the colors she has used and of course, I am delighted with those FACES!!

Click on image to enlarge.
I should be working on our new images, and I have been, don’t get me wrong, but its tiresome and boring! Soooo, taking a break I found this photo of our booth at CHA last January/February in Anaheim. Thought you might enjoy a peek. CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) has two shows a year; end of January-beginning of February and in July. Winter CHA is always held in Anaheim, CA, right across from Disney. Its a fun few days; long hours of standing on your feet, but you get to see and meet the most incredible people, including those who order stamps from us! Its always wonderful to put a face with the name.

Last year we were situated directly across from the Ranger booth, so during slow spots I could cross the aisle and chit chat with Tim Holtz, Wendy Vecchi and Claudine Helmouth. Watching any of those 3 was such fun. They make crafting look so easy. Enjoy our colorful booth with all our crazy characters!

A sweet, sweet young woman living in Spain has sent me a picture of her notebooks made using our ‘3 in a round’ and Moth Fab. I love her touch. I love how she colors just simply with a bit of color here and there. Everyday brings something new. Everyone is an artist in their own way. Thank you so much, Natalia!!! BRAVO! Thank you for allowing me to share your personal work with others.

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If you follow this blog, you know how much I love animals. My husband and I live with many. Our son sent this youtube link knowing I would enjoy it.
I hope you do too!

Hmmmmmmm? I wonder who? Maybe a big white poodle with desert dusty paws? That’s our bed and Oliver LOVES to nap on it. He likes being alone and away from the other poodles. He’ll always be ‘found out’.
So I bet you’ve been wondering where we’ve been. Just here, burning rubber and the temperatures outside have been 111, 112, 113 and 114. Not fun. Is it WINTER YET? But I’m thankful for the orders for our great rubber stamps. Keep ‘em coming. I’ll be starting on the new images from Daniel and Jill. They’ve drawn some great ones. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll have a new artist to introduce to you; my fingers are crossed. However, she is one busy lady, so I must be patient.

To help keep cool, I’ve been enjoying our backyard pond. Its always such a joy to be out there watching the fish enjoy their environment, listening to the waterfall and laughing at the dragonflies chase one another. They are SOOOOO fast!! Here’s a picture of one of our waterlilies.
Isn’t it beautiful? They come right up out of the water and burst into bloom. All the lilypads help to keep the water cool for the fish, while also providing them a shield against the harsh summer sun.
Did you know that the metabolism of fish changes from winter to summer? In the winter we feed them very little as they slow down. The lilypads are fewer too, thus the fish keep warm with the power of the sun. Come summer, however, their metabolism increases and they have to be fed daily.
They’re RAVENOUS! They actually JUMP out of the water when they see my husband coming with the food container! We have 3 koi that a friend so generously gave to us as a gift. I call them the submarines because they are so much larger than the other fish. Here they are waiting for the food.

Here is a picture of the waterfall and fish.

If you follow this blog, you know that Terri Sproul has been doing some interesting things with our stamps. She loves to demonstrate all kinds of techniques from using paper clay to watercolor. We never know WHAT she’ll be up to. Its always a surprise. If you live in the San Diego area, you can catch her teaching or doing demos at various shops. Be sure to check her blog.
Here is Terri’s latest ARTY in WATERCOLOR using some of our stamps. If you are interested, you can find ARTY here.