May 2003 -- France C.
"Serendipity"

Australia

(Click on picture for instructions)

How long have you been stamping?

About a year and a half. That is if you don't count about three cards before that, which were very simple: stamp, emboss, send; and about half a dozen others that ended up in the trash. I gave up, packed my stuff, when I moved to Australia I brought my few inkpads, and embossing powder, and my one PSX Set (Petroglyphs) and my sun stamp, as they were expensive, and I didn't want to get rid of them. Little did I know what the future held!

What is your favorite technique?

Any that is simple and effective. I do not have a permanent favourite. At the moment, I'm enjoying the caught in crystal technique and its variations, and also doing cards with *gasp* glitter and stencils. I find it's a quick way to make a fun and elegant card. I love Faux Postage too.

Favorite stamp company?

I really loved Mirkwood Designs, but they no longer make rubber. I guess any company that makes unmounted stamps is more likely to be on my list. I rarely ever buy mounted stamps unless they are pre-loved, and even so, that's rare! I don't have a particular company I love, but you will find lots of Non Sequitur, Mirkwood Designs and Designs Ink'd stamps in my collection. I prefer arty to cute, even with Oriental stamps.

Favorite Asian stamps?

Which I own or which I don't own?I have a long list of images on a wish list!

But at the moment, my favourites would be the new collage stamp by StampMania Australia (Western Australia) and the stylized "Elegant Geisha" from Designs Ink'd. One week, some stamps are my favourites, and the next it's a different set. It always depends which mood I'm in, which technique I'm into at the time, or looking through my stamps, discovering a stamp I forgot I had.

Favorite stamping accessory?

This too varies with what I am doing, but I'd have to say my one item that I'm so glad I have when I need to use it, has to be my Clear UTEE and Opals (Opals makes a clear one but I am still going through my huge container of clear Suze W's).TEEs can be used on tiles, for pre-set shapes, and also free form for a more fluid shape, or just to add a bit of a ceramic tile feel to an otherwise dull piece of art.

What is the one tool you couldn’t live without?

I'd have to say that aside from my cutting mat and knife, and metal ruler, it's probably a sponge. I use them to sponge (!) and also for other background techniques. Favourite accessory which I do not have would have been a Xyron or a brayer, or something along those lines. But I can live without those, not sure I can live without a sponge.

Favorite colors?

Again, it all depends how they are presented and what stamps they are used with, and which technique I am doing. I tend to use black a lot, I like using black card to mount things and layer, but I also love red, purple, earth/sandy tones, and some pink is good once in a while too. It really all depends. I'm not too fond of bright neon colours though, I can live without them.

Your favorite embellishment to finish a card?

Opals (they are an Australian thick embossing enamel, and they are just GORGEOUS!), threads and fibres, beads, Chinese coins are near the top of my list too, wire dragonflies (Thanks Dee!), and have been practicing my Chinese good luck knots lately! I wish I knew more about wire as I can use it in other ways, but I'm a bit limited by my lack of knowledge. I also find that simple punched corners, or sometimes edging with a Marvy Metallic marker or a leafing pen is sometimes the only finishing touch needed.

Any helpful tips for the group?

Be kind to others, and don't think you need all the latest gadgets.

Is there one place or city you’d like to visit to find rubberstamps, supplies, or Asian art elements?

I would actually love to go back to Montréal and Toronto (as I know these towns) and go back to the Chinatowns in these cities. I think I would see things I've not seen or discovered before. Although I'm quite happy to be able to find pretty much all I can think of, on the web. Bead and thread shopping with Tilly (McLeod, from NZ) and Jennifer (Fenech aka Peter Rabbit, who is a member of this list) in Hong Kong! Dreams are free, aren't they?

What other stamping lists or clubs do you belong to?

I belong to a lot of online groups. Off line, none. I've never been to a convention, and missed my first chance to go to a stamp club a couple of weeks ago. I'm very active with StampHappy, where I am a moderator. I have been a member of the list since Sept 2001, and it keeps me VERY busy. It's a local list for Australian and New Zealand stampers.

What favorite Stamping magazines would you recommend?

The Australian ones! *giggle* They are the only ones I know, actually. I got my first issue of Somerset Studio (pre-loved) and it is great, but too expensive for my budget. Australian Paper Arts, Stamping and Papercraft, and The Rubber Gazette (originally started by LizzieS, years ago!) are the only ones I see on a regular basis. Even though it is a lot of fun to be able to leaf through magazines, I find that we are very lucky to have access to the Internet where you can pretty much find any information you want if you know where to look! Google.com is a great search engine and by playing with keywords, you usually find what you need.

Published in any magazines? If yes, please list.

*grin* Yes! But not "Oriental" stuff, the magazine is Stamping and Papercraft. I've also had my work featured on a couple of website galleries. I wrote tutorials for Lynette at Designs Ink'd and strangely, two of the tutorials use Oriental stamps. I'm hoping to be able to update my website soon to reflect these new exciting changes.

Any other hobbies, talents or craft interests?

I've been known to bake, sew, knit, do macramé (in the 70s – don't laugh, it comes very handy for working with Mizuhiki and Knots!), I also have two websites one for Stamping (which I am hoping to revamp eventually) and one for baby and toddler recipes, which is pretty much just an archive at the moment, though I add stuff here and there. I would LOVE to learn and successfully do Millefiori canes with polymer clay, and dabble a bit more in polymer clay transfers, polymer stamping, and fabric stamping, but I might need to wait for my next incarnation.

What inspires you to be creative? i.e. do you listen to music while you stamp or watch TV, keep an art journal?

I glean lots of inspiration from fellow stampers. Galleries are great. I will pick up a lot of tid-bits from various ideas and make them my own. I think the subconscious is always at work.

Art Journal: I guess mine wouldn't be considered that, but I do have a notebook where I keep samples of backgrounds, colour combinations, and such, and where I will draw ideas when something strikes and I can't do it on the spot. It's not very artistic, but it is my journey, and it may change as I change too.

Any art background ?

No, not really. I never felt I was very good at art. I did dabble in a lot of stuff, my dad was an architect and loved doing photography as a hobby, my mother was a potter for a number of years, so I did all of that, but never successfully. My addiction to stamping really surprised me, it's fun, I like it, and apparently I'm not the only one who likes what I make, that's a wonderful added bonus!

Have you used any unusual item in your stamping that wasn’t necessarily meant for stamping? i.e. found item or household item

plastic (found egg cartons here) with the #6 Recycling logo (thanks Annette for that tip) are fun to use for Intaglio, although I have yet to make anything really nice with them, but I keep trying!

floor polish (caught in crystal and sealing some surfaces)

shaving cream (marbling)

dominos and other game pieces

a car washing sponge has been cut in pieces for sponging inks or applying paint washes

toothbrush to splatter ink (cheaper than a splatter stamp) for an aged effect

coffee and tea to stain items and create an aged effect

I think that's about it! There's others I haven't tried yet!

Any books on stamping or art that you would recommend? Any on Asian arts & crafts?

Can't think of any books that have helped me in that field (except the ones I use as ephemera!)

As a member of the Oriental Stamp Art group on yahoo, why do you like stamping in the Oriental theme?

I seem to find a bit of serenity when I use my Oriental stamps, which I don't normally get with the other stamps, I don't know why, but I always feel calmer when I make Oriental cards/projects. Maybe because I see Oriental stamping as a hobby of a hobby, I feel my collection is divided in "stamps, and Oriental stamps".

Do you have a day job when you’re not stamping?

Being a wife, and a mum to our 4 year old twins is pretty much my vocation at the moment!

Tell us about your family and where you live.

I live in Western Australia, just outside the town of Fremantle which is near Perth, the capital of the State. I moved here just over 4 ½ years ago, from Canada where I lived in Montreal, (Québec) most of my life, and spent the last three years working in Toronto (Ontario). I haven't been back since and have no idea when I will be going back. DH and I actually met online, talking about computers, and became really good friends, then we both had a hunch that we needed to meet, so we did... The rest is history.

Links:
My Stamping Blog: http://acanuckinoz.blogspot.com/

My Webshots album: http://community.webshots.com/user/ozfrance

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR "Serendipity"

Serendipity? Merriam Webster defines it as "the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for" (word dates back to 1754)

Serendipity is the technique I share with the group.

I have not invented the technique, and there are heaps of tutorials for this technique, on the web, and there are many ways to do it. What I love about Rubber Stamping is that if you follow the basic rules (i.e. don't use pigment ink on gloss unless it's the quick drying type or you plan on embossing) you can't go wrong. I love taking a technique and making it my own, adapting it to the stamps I have, and to the materials I have. I think that makes the difference between someone who creates, and someone who copies. Though there is nothing wrong with copyists either.

Materials list:

Full or half page of cardstock (colour is up to you, I used white)

Strips and bits of paper, you can use tissue paper, textured paper, coloured paper, you can use paper you've stamped on, bits of cards that didn't turn out right. I would only caution against some surfaces on which ink doesn't always stick, but I still use them. You can also use pictures from magazines, bits of books or dictionary or newspaper, postage stamps, bits of doilies, pretty much anything you are comfortable working with, which can be cut with a sharp blade (X-acto, craft knife, or fancy cutting items!). You can even use only stamping gear if you want as per the Arts Without Anxiety tutorial, which was one of the first techniques I tried for one of my first swaps!

Glue - it's messy but that's part of the fun. You could possibly use Jac paper (film that is sticky on both sides and comes with protective backing, on the front and the back) but you would need to cover the whole surface (which can be done with whatever you want, glitter, sand, confetti, etc.), you could also possibly use your Xyron on the back of the papers you want to adhere to your main piece of card (not sure, I don't own one and I've never seen one used).

Ink - some people use one colour (this example was done in black ink), others like to use a few colours (3) to give the stamping a bit more depth. You can also use an embossing pad and embossing powder to make your images, on the serendipity surface.

Stamps - some medium, some smaller, and some even smaller. You want to stay away from stamps that are too large, but then again, it is really up to the individual artist.

Cutting tools - Something that cuts well and precisely, a cutting gizmo such as a Fiskars cutter, a guillotine, X-acto and metal ruler... even a square punch can be used (even a triangular one!)

and last but not least, a Pencil.

Method (or madness?):

First thing I did, was think of what bits I was going to use. Last time I went with beige background card and light toned papers (see this image), this time I tried something a little bit bolder, using red papers, some with some gold, all layered on white card.

Tear or cut, whichever you prefer, strips of your chosen paper. If using mulberry, paint a fine line of water where you want to rip, that helps tear the paper, and leaves a nice fuzzy edge. Glue your bits and pieces randomly on the page, you can go completely randomly or follow a pattern. I went for the vertical and horizontal lines (that was learned here). The end results were gluey fingers (I did have to clean my hands very often doing this) and the image below. The efforts are worth it.

Tip: When you've stuck all your bits like the image above, you want to make sure they will stick. I usually either turn my page over and rub it from the back, but you can also turn it over a non-stick surface like the protective paper on cold laminate or Jac paper. That way if there is glue showing, it won't stick to the surface under your work. I guess you could also roll a brayer on the back to make sure all's sticking to the piece of card. Look for bits that aren't stuck, and apply glue to them. You want a nice surface to stamp on and not bits of paper that stick out.

When the glue is dry, now's the time to use your stamps. I used a Noh mask, a butterfly, a dragonfly, a willow, and a few small bits of text.

I like using simple line drawings stamps for this technique as opposed to photo stamps, for instance.

It doesn't really matter if some of the images you stamp aren't perfect, just keep going starting with a few images with the large stamp(s) and then the medium slowly filling the gaps, then the smaller ones. You have to make sure that you don't have more than about a square inch of space with nothing in it (that's 2.5cm square for the metric people). Here is where you can use different colours of inks, or you can emboss in gold or black, to suit your theme.

Try to stamp in the same way as your bits of paper, i.e. either randomly or in a vertical or horizontal, or both, manner. Remember, there is no rule.

Your page will look somewhat (or not at all) like this:

When the ink is dry, now is the time to cut.

I usually will cut a fine strip off two edges of the card, either 1 cm or 1/2 inch. I do that as I find I never quite stamp over the edge like I should. I cut off the vertical and horizontal edges I like the least, the ones that have the most card showing.

When that is done, turn your card over. You can mark it at regular intervals of your choice, or just use the width of your ruler. Mine is about 2.5 cm/1 inch wide, and that suits me fine. Align your ruler along the long edge of the card, and trace a line all the way from one end of the car to the other end. Align your ruler on that line now, and trace another line, you will get a number of ruler intervals. Similar to this:

Then, turn your card 90° so that the edge you trimmed is closer to you. Now placing your ruler aligned with the bottom of the card, cut a strip of serendipity paper (similarly to the image below). You will end up with a strip of paper with marked lines on it.

My Blog: http://acanuckinoz.blogspot.com/

My Webshots album: http://community.webshots.com/user/ozfrance