studiosuzanne

Photo-Style Stamps

Photo-style stamps.  I just adore them! The love of photo-realistic stamps was behind the start of Oxford Impressions, after all. When stamped correctly, photo stamps are amazing!  However, many people struggle to find the best way to use them.  Oxford Impressions has a tutorial for photo-style stamp basics. Now we've added an additional tool, Photo Stamp Clinic.  This new section is photo-based, allowing the stamper to see and identify common errors. It pained me to make my stamps intentionally ugly, but since it is for educational purposes...<grin!> I hope this section will help some of you who are uncertain about the correct usage of my favorite stamps!

Suzanne

Row House Swap - Closed

The Oxford Impressions Row House Swap is full.  The following artists are signed up. Let me know if I missed any one. Let's have some fun!

 1. Shelly

 2. Michelle

 3. Kersten

 4. Louise

 5. Erika

 6. Penny

 7. Cindy

 8. Marva

 9. Wendy

10. Peggy

P.S. Swappers - your house-shaped card doesn't have to be a house theme. I'm just too literal for my own good! Do any art you'd like in the house-shaped space!

Vintage Snowman Part II

Today the "snowman kit" was back out! My friend Shelly Hickox came over last week to make snowmen and I loved the way her vintage Snowman jar turned out.  Shelly kindly left an old bottle behind so I could make my own.  Here it is!  I love it even more than my original snowman. (See earlier post about our play date inspired by Cloth Paper Scissor Magazine.) I still haven't gotten the hang of "browning" my stuff up so it looks truly old.  I just can't resist the sparkle of it all!  

I WANT YOU!!!

...to try out for the Oxford Impressions Design Team!!  What is holding you back?  Oh.  I know. You think your entry will be lost among hundreds. Might as well not even bother. Well, guess what? I have 10 entries and 2 open spots.  What are the odds that 8 of the 10 applicants are better than you?!  You know you are good! Come on and try out! I really want to encourage everyone who was even thinking about applying to do so.  I am extending the deadline to December 15th for the competition. Send me some art! The details are repeated below:

Contest Requirements:

1. Artist needs to submit 3 different projects for judging. Projects are artist's choice. Art can be card fronts, ATC, canvas art, mixed media, etc. As long as the pieces demonstrate the ability of the artist to successfully use rubber stamps, anything goes. We want to see work that showcases the artist's individual style. 

2. Submissions can be made by email or regular postal mail.  Submissions can be scans, photographs, color copies, or actual pieces.  If actual pieces are submitted, they will be photographed for judging. Art will not be returned so don't send anything you can't part with.

A. Email submissions - send art scans as a .jpg to designcontest@oxfordimpressions.com . If an item is multi-dimensional, send no more than 3 views per piece.

B. Postal submissions - send photos, copies or art in an envelope marked "DO NOT BEND" to the following address:

Oxford Impressions

Design Contest

P.O. Box 382721

Germantown, TN 38183-2721

3. All entries must be received by December 15th, 2008. Entries become the property of Oxford Impressions.  Entries may be displayed on the Oxford Impressions website or blog during judging and any time after new members have been announced.

 

4. Artist MUST demonstrate an ability to effectively use photo-style stamps.  Applicants are not required to use Oxford Impressions stamps for entry - any photo-style stamp will be sufficient.

5. Submission should include name and email address.  Please send a BRIEF note with the art generally outlining any past experience of getting your art published.  A specific list is not necessary, but recent publications would be of interest.  Being published is not a requirement for entry, however, a willingness to submit is a strong plus!

6. If you are currently a design team member for another rubber stamp company, please let us know.   Our team openings are for the year 2009. You may want to check with any company you currently work for to see what their policy is regarding multiple team commitments.  Oxford Impressions allows our design team members to participate in other design teams, but we expect an honest commitment of support for our products. Not all companies are as flexible.

Contest Judging:

I will personally review all submissions.  However, I will not be choosing the new members.  I will present a slate of the best candidates to a panel of qualified judges - the current design team members!  Each submission group will be identified by number only.  The six design team members will vote to choose their peers. The new members will be announced the first week of January.

If you have any questions, please contact me at designcontest@oxfordimpressions.com

I can't wait to see your art!  Thank you for participating!

Suzanne

Vintage Snowman

Thanksgiving is drawing near and it's about time to unpack my winter-themed decorations. My current favorites are my Cody Foster vintage snowmen! His folk art designs have a charming simplicity and realistic vintage flavor. I own a couple of mass-market reproductions of his work and I'd love to have an original some day. Last year, I decided to try and make my own version of a vintage snowman.  When the local craft store put their Christmas items on sale, I went crazy buying everything white, silver or sparkly. I purchased some styrofoam balls of various sizes and put everything together in a box labelled "Snowman kit".  And there it sat. On my shelf. For an entire year!

This Saturday I visited with my BF, talented artist Shelly Hickox. Over lunch, she pulled out the latest issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors.  My mouth fell open when I saw the cover.  It showcased the sweetest little snowman bottles!  It was just as I had envisioned. We promptly made a date to create! 

Today was devoted solely to snowmen.  Shelly brought some vintage glass bottles and trims and I pulled out the "snowman kit" box and my new Martha Stewart glitters.  Within an hour we were both sparkling!  I don't often make 3D items - most of my work is paper-based - and I felt like a kid again, peeling dried glue from my fingernails. It was so much fun!!  I'm pleased with the way my little snowman turned out and I'll definitely be making more. (The snowman reflects more pink and green in the photo than it actually looks in person.) Hopefully Shelly will get her gorgeous snowman posted to her blog. She did a better job of capturing the vintage feel.  I got a bit carried away with the glitter! If you make one yourself, send me a link!

OI ATC Row House Swap

I enjoyed making these little houses so much! I'm ready to make some more! Who wants to join me for a swap?  The Oxford Impressions Row House Swap is now open, so sign up by leaving a comment below this post.  The swap is 10 houses for 10, due December 15th.

Row House must be cut from ATC sized card (3.5 x 2.5), but can be any shape - tall and thin, with chimney or without, it is strictly up to you.  Please feel free to use the little shape I posted.

Rules - Send your best work. Houses should be sturdy, constructed on heavy cardstock or chipboard. Artist must use a minimum of one Oxford Impressions rubber stamp in the creation of the House. Include name and email address on the back of each house. Send houses and stamped, addressed return envelope to:

Oxford Impressions

P.O. Box 382721

Germantown, TN 38183-2721

Houses must be received by December 15th.

Thanks for playing!

Suzanne

ATC Row House

I recently participated in an ATC Row House swap.  I was excited by the prospect because I love working on a small scale and the house form is very appealing to me.  I am a horder of ephemera and I knew I had some old tax documents.  Those became the base for the house.  I had some trim little brown ribbon that was a perfect scale for dividing house and roof, so that came next.  Then, the houses sat... for days.  The brown ribbon on the brown documents totally limited my vision.  It looked so masculine that I ended up adding a man to the front of the house.  Some postage stamps and a bit of gold trim finished the houses. They were well-constructed and looked complete, but the houses didn't make me that happy.  I had one little house that I accidental constructed backwards - all the other chimneys were on the right.  I hadn't "wasted" any ribbon on the backwards house, intending to keep it as a template.  Today, when cleaning off my desk, a scrap of vintage rickrack from another project fell on the floor. I scooped it up and tossed it back to the table and it landed so close to the house template that I HAD to see them together.  Five minutes later, this little sissy house was complete. I can't believe I spent days making houses that I didn't love and turned out this little sweet house in minutes!  This must have been what my heart wanted all along.

** Stamped image from "Times Past" from Oxford Impressions.

Martha Stewart Glitter

 

Martha. Martha. Martha.  Her name is synonymous with home arts perfection. I hated to see Martha Stewart getting into the rubber stamp business for the obvious reasons.  (Am I channelling Jan Brady, here?) Martha does everything well.  Since her products are currently taking up quite a bit of retail space in my local stores, I had to check things out. And... I bought something.  I am not a glitter gal as I prefer my art with a vintage flavor.  However, I could not pass up her "Winter Snows Glitter Pack". I have never seen such a collection of complete twinkling perfection! There are six selections in the pack with both fine and coarse material, each offering a unique sparkle.  In my sample piece above I tried to incorporate as many of the textures as possible.

On the girl's coat collar, I used "coarse crystals" that have a brilliant luster. The snowflakes are highlighted with "crystal fine".  The vial marked "Snow" provided the little snow drift base and the "carrara marble" accented the fur muff.  The kit comes with a small tube of white glue that I found a bit thick for use with the finer glitters. I watered the glue down a little and applied it to the surfaces with a paint brush and tooth pick for precision placement. The Glitter Pack was around $10.00 and I'm sure I'll be using it with more Holiday themed art.

**Art above was created with Oxford Impressions "Winter Snow" collection of rubber stamps.

P.S. I was troubled by the way the girl's muff reflected the flash when photographed.  When considering the problem, I hit on a "fun" solution.  I applied white fun flock to the muff.  Now it looks like real fur!  I just replaced the photo to show the new look.

River Arts Festival, Memphis TN

I had a fabulous time at the RiverArts Festival this past weekend!  Art lovers from far and wide flooded the The South Main Art District to soak up the visually stimulating.  Of all the art events I attend during the year, RiverArts is one of my favorites. The show is juried, so the artists are there by merit. The show organizers also ensure there is a good mix of styles and media represented.  Here's the catch.  While the quality of the art is high, so are the prices.  I walked away this year with nothing but a pocketful of notes and business cards!  I thoroughly appreciate mixed media, so those booths tend to capture my interest the most. My favorite this year was artist H. Aaron Hequembourg. Click the link to read an article about Aaron in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  It is really interesting! I was drawn to his large scale mixed media pieces created on old, re-claimed wood from Sharecropper homes. The artist uses vintage papers mixed with engraved illustrations to create a unique and interesting composition.

I am quite fond of creative jewelry. Two jewelry artists captured my fancy although their styles are polar opposites. Alison Mackey has a crisp modern style of jewelry. She specializes in capturing color with her photography and transforming the photo into a jewel by encasing it in resin.  Polished silver settings enhance the vibrant colors of her work.  Jewelry Artist Amie King has a wonderfully whimsical way of combining vintage tin pieces with more modern settings.  My favorite necklace was made with a piece of tin from a "Sweet Chunk" tobacco can.  You have to be a special kind of woman to be bold enough to label yourself "Sweet Chunk".  Saturday, I just didn't feel that brave!  Amie has an etsy shop, so I'll be keeping my eye on her designs!