greenpepperpressblog

Michelle Ward/GreenPepperPress Blog

  • TIP No. 1 – Egg Sizes

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    Tip1eggsizes_3 If you purchased Painted Ladies, you’ll notice there are three sizes of eggs.  Whether you mount them or leave them unmounted it would be useful to label the back indicating the size.  When you are searching for images to layer onto one another to create the speckled eggs you want to have eggs that match in size.  It’s a good way to keep organized and will prevent errors.  After trimming the rubber, lay out by size, then label each size with a letter on the back of the rubber or your mount.  (Once you try the "speckling your eggs" layered technique you may want to add additonal notes of your preferred order.  For instance, A-1, A-2, A-3, etc.)

    Eggsoaps_2 The idea for speckled egg stamps came to me when I found these soaps on this site, Gianna Rose Atelier.  Take a look at all the yummy offerings they have.  In addition to these egg soaps they have pears!  I love anything with a pear scent.  Not sure what the eggs would smell like but they sure are pretty, aren’t they?

    Another update on rubber deliveries: Romeo and Prague have not arrived yet.  If you ordered one of these your package has been held and will go out next week.  My manufacturer shipped these on Friday as well as the remainder of my order of Painted Ladies and Crow About.  I’ve packed as much as I can until I get the rest of the inventory here.  Thanks for your patience.  As I said before, the response to the new collection has been wild and my guy is pressing alot of rubber! 

  • The latest…..

    I’m still waiting for 2 sets of images to arrive, plus additions to the others.  I’ve packed up all I can and have shipped all that were completed.  Below you can see how my coffee table looked Friday night (yes, that’s a glass of wine) and then there’s how things looked this morning before my postal run.  There’s nothing more I can do until the Brown truck pulls up with more rubber.  So…..I had to play.  Somebody stop me!  (See STREET TEAM, link on right, for more tags)

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    I’m an impulse stamper.  I wanna be able to grab the thing and use it.  So I mount all my stamps on foam.  This nice thick stuff is actually a gardeners kneeling pad.  When you have your stamp mounted on this you can grip it like a wood mount, and it also gives you the cushion you need.  Cheap and easy.  Trim the rubber close to image.  Cover the back of rubber, and one side of the foam with contact cement.  Let both surfaces dry.  Then lay out your images on the foam.  This makes for a tighter bond.  (I use gel formula contact cement by Dap, found at hardware stores.)  This is the KEY….you have to use a sharp utility blade to cut the foam.  If it’s nice and sharp the foam cuts beautifully, but if the blade gets dull you’ll get jaggedy yucky uneven lines. 

    Then I store my mounted stamps in those clear plastic box frames. 

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  • RUBBER UPDATE:

    I have a living room full of rubber!  Not all the sheets have arrived but I’m starting to pack up what I have.  I will ship a batch of orders Saturday morning.  (8 of 10 of the news sheets are here and THEY ARE AWESOME!!!!)

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  • How does your garden grow?

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    We went to the New York Botanical Gardens on Saturday.  CHIHULY was in the house!  Man, this guy can put on a show.  I’ve seen a few of his ‘chandeliers’, but this was WAY BETTER.  At every turn you were amazed.  Throughout the conservatory and scattered within the gardens there were installations of his blown glass wonders.  IMAGINATION – this guy HAS IT.  I love that he shares his creations with the universe.  His books don’t capture the magnitude of the awesomeness you feel when experiencing an event like this.  His dvds come closer, especially since you get to see the glass being blown, swung, spun, and manipulated under his genius direction.  The dvds also take you behind the scenes as his team installs a show in a garden, over the canals of Venice, and many of his other venues.  Big round of applause to the worker bees who made this happen – couldn’t imagine the coordination of getting a show like this installed.

    Yesterday’s experience was much like last years visit to Central Park to see The Gates by Christo.  YOU HAD TO BE THERE. If you’re in the area, get to the Garden to see Chihuly before the end of October.  Check his schedule for a venue coming soon near you. 

  • Embrace Diversity

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    Here’s a terrific video clip that illustrates how we are all different, yet all special in our own way.  This represents all children, all people.  I think it’s an excellent tool for explaining what diversity means.  We can recognize ourselves here, each of us relating to one or more of the animals.  Here’s to teachers who ‘get it’ and help our students realize their potential.   When I need to define what autism means, I think of this clip to help me find the words.

    Watch here.  (Click on purple box.)

  • “W”…..Wish….Witherell….Ward

    Cwwish_1 Mwscriptmosaic_2 One afternoon I was surfing around, following links from blog to blog and I came across Catherine’s site.  The current entry I was reading showed her beautiful silver jewelry, made from PMC.  This girl rocks the clay!  She has made exquisite, inventive pieces of wearable art.  Her BIRDhouses are divine!  Go to her site and see, then visit her Etsy and buy one! 

    This lovely "W" pendant is now mine!  I just had to have it – not only because it’s sweet and clever….she stamped in { i s h } following the "W"…..and of course I myself am a "W", (so is she!) but how about this:  Catherine stamped the clay with the image above, one of my own rubber designs for Stampers Anonymous! 

    And the story continues…..I’m at her site, I’m so loving her stuff, I scroll up to meet the artist I’m viewing, and I recognize the friendly face.  After an email exchange I realize Catherine was a student of mine at Artfest.  It was a first time event for both of us.  So, HOW COOL IS THAT?  Small world.  Thanks Catherine!

  • Tees and Teaser

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    They are called graphic tees.  Sometimes referred to as printed tees.  They are everywhere.  Can’t get enough of this style – whether in apparel or now seen in many paper lines.  In my last Somerset article when I mentioned being inspired by t-shirts this is the kind if stuff I was talking about.  You can pay 20ish or less for one at Old Navy, PacSun, Hot Topic, or even Target.  Trash and Vaudeville carries Monarchy – a line that was new to me until last weekend in NY and I had to have one as seen in the two upper left photos here…front and back (with an embroidered "M"). 

    Teaser:  Since the recent edition of PostScript (Stampington’s newletter) I have been getting emails asking about the new Clearly Impressed stamps I have designed for Stampington.  Their teaser showed a bird similar to one on my Painted Ladies sheet with GPP.  I WISH I could show you the new clear collections but we’ll have to wait until the next PostScript.  I will say this – there are no repeats except for the one bird which is a different scale and is part of a set that introduces new images to compliment my WayWard line.  There will be five sets of images available and yes, you’re going to want them! 

  • Physical Graffiti

    Pg_1 If you’re a Zep fan, you know what this is.

    The coolest album cover ever…..it has die-cut windows that reveal images on the sleeve.  You can switch out the sleeve for different views.  Very Clever.

    I live with a Zep fan.  The two biggest LZ fans I know are my husband and my brother-in-law.  (Shown below – Kevin and Graham)  Graham’s sister Jenny and her family are visiting from England so last weekend we went into NYC to track down the Physical Graffiti building located at 96 and 98 St. Mark’s Place in the West Village.  How cool is that?  The two fans in front of the building on the album cover they have loved for years.

    When I was reading up on the trivia behind this album cover I learned that the 4th floor was edited out so the two buildings would fit the square format. 

    Don’t you miss 12" covers?  We have at least a dozen framed and hanging in our basement known as the pub.  C’mon, I’m married to an Englishman – yes we have a pub!

    When I released my first sheet of rubber in the HomeWard Collection, I had this cover in mind.  A selection of windows and doors that could be used to build your own brownstone – AND I included an alphabet to fit in the windows.  And of course, it’s called Physical Graffiti. 

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  • Take a Minute…..

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  • You Can Do It

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    Pay It Forward……Make Magic Happen……You Can Do It

    Think about it.  We have the power, we just need to be reminded of it.