Highlander Celtic Stamps Blog

Highlander Celtic Stamps is one of the featured companies in this month’s issue of RubberStampMadness – look for a copy in your local book or craft store or subscribe via our web site on the Special Offers page. RubberStampMadness is always filled with wonderful examples, tips and techniques and is exclusively devoted to stamping.

Our new Faerie Village rubber stamps are designed in scale with each other so that you can create scenes. The artist, Amaji Fox, and I are already planning another group of images that will also work with these new stamps giving stampers even more options. Look for the next Faerie Village group in the fall, 2012.

When creating scenes it is often necessary to mask some images. The current issue of RubberStampMadness magazine has an article on masking as well, with very detailed, delightful scenes depicted.

Here is a masking technique using Highlander Celtic Stamps

Masking is quite easy and allows you to make much more complex images. All you need are some Post-It™ Notes or repositionable glue stick, scrap paper and small, detail scissors. A stamp positioner is a nice addition to your tool kit, too.

Choose your group of stamps, card stock and ink

First create test stampings on scrap paper so you can get an idea of the scene you want to create. I always have some precut scrap paper ready for this purpose which helps me plan the image for the final size I want it to be. Here you can see my test with no masking used.

Now that you know what image will be in front, stamp that image on a Post-It™ or scrap paper and carefully cut it out with the detail scissors. Using your test scene as a guide stamp the front image and stick the cut out mask on top of it.

Put a piece of scrap paper in the stamp positioner and stamp the Corgi. Use this paper to align the dog to the desired position beneath the faerie.

Hold the test paper firmly on the card, position the stamp positioner to wrap the test paper, hold the positioner, remove the test paper, and stamp the Corgi on the card.

(The stamp postioner is really handy for wood mounted stamps, yet often not needed when using unmmounted stamps with the clear acrylic block system)

Mask the Corgi and continue adding images, if you like. Remove the masks, color and assemble card.

Thanks for visiting.

Blessings upon you,

Kim Victoria

Celtic Steampunk?

Why not?

Steampunk is a look, a style and Celtic designs can fit right in. The upcoming summer issue of RubberStampMadness will feature Steampunk art, therefore, I decided to make my advertisement in a Steampunk style, something I hadn’t tried before.

I have a copy of Tim Holtz’ book A Compendium of Curiosities, so I turned to it for inspiration and used the Rusted Enamel technique.  It is really easy to do as I was able to get a great result the first time I tried it. The following is a variation of that technique.

Steampunk Victorian Piper steps a & b1

a)  First stamp ink pads directly to heavy white card stock or a tag, using Memories Turquoise and Baby blue. (This is a really large tag 3 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, as I wanted to show several images on it.) Make sure the card is completely dry before proceeding.

b)  Next stamp the card with the desired images:

1. #349 Victorian Piper with black pigment ink and detail black embossing powder and heat set it.
2. #304 Fleur de Lis  & #353 Epiphany Knot with Cherry Red Memories ink
3. #170 Long Thistle & #351 Square Knot with Pine Tree Green Memories ink

 

 

Steampunk Victorian Piper steps b2 through f

c)  Now ink directly onto the entire surface of the card using a clear embossing ink pad, apply clear embossing powder over all, tap off the excess and then tap it harder so the powder isn’t even over the whole surface, and heat set. Be careful to heat it just enough to melt and no more.

d)  Now apply the appearance of rust with one or more warm browns such as Memories Brown. A cosmetic sponge works well for this and gives you good control (although your fingers might get inky). Tap the sponge on the ink pad and then tap it on the card pressing harder at the edges where you might want the most rust. Excess ink may be wiped off the embossed surface with a cloth or paper towel..

e)  Optional: repeat step c, if desired, to achieve a more even glossy finish, and you won’t need to give the card an extra tap.

f) As all the inking and embossing may have wrinkled the card stock, mount card on another piece of dark color cardstock with gluestick or YES glue.

g)  Punch a hole and add a ribbon.

Steampunk Victorian Piper 349 Tag completed

Thanks for visiting

Blessings upon you

Kim Victoria

Late August through October was a busy time, full of vending and other work including a big art show at our local Paradise Art Center. We also updated the web site and I got busy making stamps in preparation for the big Holiday Sale. I felt that we all could use a break this year and offering a sale is my way of providing a win-win for my business and our wonderful customers.

I am working on some new designs for early in 2012 and  will want your feed back on which designs are of most interest to you. I will be sending out a request for voting before production soon after Christmas. I hope to be bringing on a new artist who draws the most darling little fairies. My latest art interest for potential stamps are crop circles and sacred geometry – both of which may be found in ancient Celtic art. For example, the Book of Kells is full of geometry in the creation of the designs, some of which are in the Highlander Celtic Stamps collection.

I hope you take advantage of the Holiday 25% off sale, and thank you for checking in.

Here is a Welsh Christmas card (which could have any greeting instead of the Welsh one) and a 10″ x 8″ collage piece featuring G300 Horses/Epona design.

G300 3 Horse Knot / Epona in a layered collage design

Rubber stamps used are S100, C438 and 047 with white embossing ink and powder

I studied tutorials on and then started a blog on Word Press. Next, I got a lesson on internet marketing and was advised to put WP on the Highlander web site. This took awhile to do and figure out. Meanwhile, I was stressing on my ability to keep up with my original idea for the blog as the words were NOT flowing and I was spending way too much time researching and not having any fun at all with it. I have been doing a lot of introspection and have come to understand that I am primarily a visual person. I prefer and am happiest when I am communicating visually. So, I changed direction and focus and started to play. Play is important. I am playing more with my fine art and have a whole new direction going there as well. It will be interesting to see how this all goes. Now that I feel better and have had time to practice using WP it is getting easier and easier and faster, too. As I grow in my new understanding of myself you will SEE more and more and I won’t worry about writing very much. I hope you enjoy it all.

Thank you for visiting!
Blessings upon you,

Kim Victoria