• I LOVE RUBBERSTAMPS
  
  I have been collecting rubber art stamps for about 37 years. I can't draw as well as I would like to and so I used my rubber stamps in collage work in place of my lack of drawing ability.
  When my children were small we always went to the beach in the summertime and I would take a shoe box of rubber stamps to "play" with in case we had a rainy day. The boys also enjoyed stamping and coloring the stamped images with water-color pencils. An instant Watercolor drawing! For a long period of time the collection was small and only used for the occasional birthday card or valentine and then I was introduced to a store in Pittsburgh called Stamp Fanci.
  I started taking card making classes there and from then on totally addictied to Rubber Stamps.
  I now use them in all my art work. I've learned so many techniques from just using different inks, embossing powders, chalks, etc....
  I miss Stamp Fanci and try and take classes when I am in Pittsburgh. I have however found a new favorite rubberstamp store here in Fort Lauderdale called The Stamp Shack.
  Lynn, the owner is a very creative and passionate person and always wants to see finished projects. When my friend Jan visited from Richmond,VA, we went to the store twice to and from the airport and two days of a rubberstamp convention too. We had the best time!
  I've attached a photo of me shopping in the store.

ARUNDHATI'S CASTLE BOOK

I wanted to make Arundhati a special book for her fifth birthday.
She was so excited to see her "Princess Book" The difficult part was covering the chip board book with paper and sanding and more sanding on the edges. I then covered every edge with glitter glue.
It was a fun project anyway even if it was a little to glitzy for my taste. She loved it and that was what made me happy. At five she is into all the Princess stuff so was very happy to have the different Disney princess stickers in the windows. I gave it to her when she visited us for Passover. She found it early in the morning and started to move some of the stickers around.
I explained to her it wasn't a sticker book as we re-glued some elements.

BETSY'S ART DOLL BIRTHDAY BOOK
I made this Birthday book for my friend Betsy in June of 2008. Each month has a special doll for that month followed by a blank page for Betsy to record her friends birthday in each month.
The dolls each have a little card describing the Doll's name and where she is from.
Most of the Doll's are named for one of Betsy's friends but February's Doll is Mona (as in Mona Lisa). I used several stamps to create Mona and her arms are the top of the Eiffel tower and her legs the Eiffel Tower base. I will try and add more dolls but I'm having a hard time scaling down the photos.
The project took me several months to complete but I loved working on it and I know she really appreciates it.

Constellation's Handmade books

I like to take photos of any art I see for inspiration in my work.
There were several display cases in the Buffet area on Celebrity's Constellation.
I just loved the design and colors of the little books in the shape of fruits and wine
bottles. I like to travel and enjoy taking photos of grill work on balconies or ornate doors.
I usually take about 900 photos per trip. Digital cameras make it so much easier to experiment
with the art of photography. My father had his own darkroom and I would help him develop photos as a kid. I miss using my big 35mm camera with different lens but I can see instantly
the digital photo and find that more exciting!

Sea Life Doll

This Sea Life Doll measures about 8 inches. It was published in Rubber Stamp Madness magazine about 2 years ago. It was very exciting for me to see my art work in R.S.M.!
I used several rubber stamps to create the doll and then added items like tiny shells for her bracelets and German( Lobster and Fish) Paper Scraps for the extra shine. The tail and arms also have a shimmer since they are covered in pearlex powders. I was very sick and on steroids when I made the doll. It took me only a few hours. I entered the magazine once before and worked for weeks on the fold out card only to be rejected! The Sea Life Doll

being published was really a surprise.

Artist Trading Cards

I love making Artist Trading Cards or ATC's They are 2.5 inches
by 3.5 inches. They are the size of baseball trading cards.
I trade with other artists and now have a big collection of minature
ART. ATC's were started in Europe and now with the internet
more and more artists are linked. They can be any type of art
medium. I like to do collage. This set of cards spells BETSY.

I also add them to Greeting cards, and Altered books.

I did a retirement count-down set of 12 month cards that are still some of my favorite cards.

It started in July 2006 and ended with June 2007. Each month the card was changed on my desk and helped that final year of working go faster.