Don’t forget – my annual Holiday Sale in my Online Shop ends TODAY, Sunday November 21st at 11:59pm ET. We ran it a bit early this year to help you get a jump on holiday shopping AND in response to the difficulties with shipping.
So hurry in and shop with us through the end of the day to enjoy 25% off all physical products. Just use the coupon code HOHOHO25 when you check out.
Enjoy!!!
A Look Back – let’s get into the spirit of the season and recap some of my favorite holiday posts from years past. If you’re looking for creative and crafty ideas for holiday decorating, cards, and such, this is a handy list.
A Look Back is a blog series to show you some projects and posts that you may have missed – sometimes going WAY back in the archive. I think it will be fun to revisit a few ideas that we haven’t seen for a while. I’m excited to see how a little look back might inspire something new in the future :)
Hands down this was one of my favorite play dates ever! These rubber stamped, waterless snow globes were so fun to make and I still love displaying them each year around the holidays. We really got creative setting up the scenes with my Stroll Around the Block and Stroll Through the Hood stamps, along with some quirky miniature figures and trees. Love creating your own miniature world? This is for you!!! Here’s a link to the post.
Another winner was a card making play date we did by layering my stencils with Distress Oxide inks. So satisfying to see how different patterns worked together to create snowflake-like designs. Each one was unique, each one was beautiful. Here is the post where we show you our step by step method.
Remember these fresh looking tree cards from Creative Squad alum Jennifer Gallagher? She created trees using my Kassel and Flower Maze stencils, washi tape for the trunks, and then set them aglow with my Park Blvd stencil. I love the simple, modern look of these cards and you could really churn out a lot of variations in no time with her stencil and masking technique. Check it out.
Looking for something a little different for holiday cards? Creative Squad member Maura Hibbitts shared this card project with us last year and they still catch my eye. I love her color choices and how well they work with my Star Struck, Toledo, and Santiago 4×4 stencils. And using my Small Circle Jumble rubber stamps for the center is such a nice detail. Give it a try: here is Maura’s post.
Let’s not forget the ornaments! These festive examples from Creative Squad alum Nicole Watson utilize some simple blank ornaments, acrylic paint, a gelli plate, my Valley Road stencil and my Antique Tile foam stamp. Their rustic style makes me want to cozy up with my hubby and trim a tree. Here is how to make them.
I hope you enjoyed this look back on some seasonal holiday projects using stamps and stencils and will maybe make a few of your own too. Remember that right now we have our big annual Holiday Sale in the shop so it’s a nice time to pick up a few of the stamps or stencils that you see in the above post for 25% off – just use the coupon code HOHOHO25 when you check out. The sale runs through November 21, 2021. Here is a link to the shop.
Here are some of the supplies we used:
It’s time for my Annual Holiday Sale to get things started for the holidays! My BIGGEST sale of the year begins today and you can save 25% off all physical products in my online shop now through Sunday, November 21st. We are encouraging you to shop EARLY this year because we all know that shipping is a bit slower these days than usual.
What’s included in the sale? Rubber stamps, stencils, foam stamps, original paintings, mugs, giclee prints, framed collages, ink pads, cardboard models, and much more are all 25% off – just use the coupon code HOHOHO25 when you check out.
Need some ides? I’ve got Rubber Stamp sets like fan-fav Embroidery that includes a nice mix of stitch-inspired stamps. And of course how about some LOVE – if you’re feeling warm and fuzzy this time of year then that stamp pretty much sums it up :)
Are you digging Foam Stamps just as much as we are? The Triple Play set is super fun for making patterns and how about some of my building stamps like Church to create cards and ornaments.
All my Stencils are part of the sale too so take a look around – there are patterns and designs that range from geometric to grungy to historical inspired motifs.
I also have a section in my shop called Favorite Art Supplies where you will find some nifty items like Moonlight Duo ink pads, Boundless Brooklyn cardboard models, and the StampBuddy. Check that stuff out HERE.
Need a unique gift idea this year for that amazing host or hostess or that family member who is hard to shop for? I have one word for you: Artwork! Whether it’s a print, a small framed collage, or an original painting, nothing is quite so special as a gift that can be hung on the wall. Check out my artwork in the shop here.
Ready to start shopping the sale? Here is a link to the Online Shop. I hope you enjoy and can check some things off your list a little early this year. The sale ends at 11:59pm ET on Sunday, November 21st. Use the coupon code HOHOHO25 and hurry hurry – items are going fast and some artwork is one-of-a-kind so when it is gone… it is gone :)
I’ve got some new original artwork for sale in my online shop this week – check them out here!
This is a group of collage pieces that I created using collage papers, some of my favorite stamps, acrylic paint, and other mixed media materials that were on hand at the time. I was thinking about layering and making different elements work together when I created these.
Each piece is matted and framed in white and can be hung on the wall or displayed on a tabletop. I’m selling them for $55 each so a nice little deal for these if you are looking for some original artwork for your home, gifts, etc.
Here is a peek at Hope and Lady Liberty
And here is Powerhouse and Message Received
Finally we have Stay Strong and We The People
I love when I get myself a little organized and have some artwork that I can share with you. Sometimes in the chaos of creating, running a website, and juggling all the other stuff that comes with being a working artist, this is hard to pull off. But when it does, you always surprise me with your enthusiasm and excitement, and that really makes me happy :)
So check them out here in my shop while they are in stock, and I hope to be sending one of these out to you soon!
When I designed my Neato foam stamp, it was part of a suite of designs all based on some mid century modern stamp rollers I found in a vintage shop. I named all the patterns after slang words from the 1950’s and for the most part they were pretty abstract designs… except Neato just always reminds me of a fish LOL!
It’s kinda funny when you make a bunch of patterns and they really are just non-representational forms… but the more you work with them and get to know them they start to represent something. This is definitely what happened here and I am not alone either – a lot of you out there have seen the resemblance Neato has to a fish and I love that! We are on some similar mixed media wavelengths here :)
One of the first projects I made with Neato were these fish-themed Valentines. I hope you like puns too because I came up with a surprising amount of them… and I bet there are even more out there!
My Creative Squad got in on it too – in this art journal page Maura Hibbitts created an underwater scene using Neato and even an element from my Batik stencil to emphasize that sleek fishy body.
Marsha Valk created a series of cards and collage papers featuring Neato as a fish too, and she admitted it was hard to not add an eye to the stamped design haha.
But ok, maybe Neato doesn’t have to be a fish if that’s not what you are looking for… in fact I really like using it as a border in an art journal spread!
Neato can be just another abstract design that you can use as a tool for mark making in your artwork. In the above I combined it with my Far Out and the back of my Space Oddity foam stamps to create a more complex pattern.
And finally here is my friend Kim from one of our playdates where we used Neato and other foam stamps to make shrink film earrings – pretty Neato accessories if I do say so myself.
So whether you see a fish or just a cool looking design, I will of course never get tired of seeing just how you use my Neato foam stamp! Tag me and share your projects with me, fishy or not :)
Sometimes against all the odds you just need a little hope. When I designed my Hope Tag stamp it was of course during yet another tumultuous time in the world and I was thinking how important it can be to have hope for the future. So among other actions, I designed a stamp to shout about Hope! And I’ve always been a fan of street art as a way to talk about issues so I wanted to play on that and do it in the style of a tag. Kinda like saying, “Hey, Hope is here!”
Sometimes I actually pop the stamp into my journaling to emphasize it, like I did here in this art journal page. And in addition to the Hope Tag you also see the Love Tag here because we all need that too :)
Although hope is usually working behind the scenes, it can be the lifeblood in our hearts as you see here, powering us through circumstances.
When everything in the background gets a little crazy and intense… there is hope :)
Sometimes you need to consciously add it into the mix of emotions, or even stitch it in to make sure it isn’t going anywhere…
…because it might be the opposite of what you are feeling!
But as far as I’m concerned, it is one of a few essential ingredients to a life well lived.
As we all look to a better future, Hope will be there with us, driving us and inspiring us.
And that is just a little bit about why I designed the Hope Tag stamp :)
How about a little Love Story? Once upon a time an artist named Nat was introduced to ArtFoamies foam stamps and fell hard for this mixed media tool – she even became a designer of foam stamps and the rest is history!
Haha ok that’s just the short version but today I’m here to talk about my special Love Story foam stamp that I made for Creative JumpStart this past year. It’s a limited edition foam stamp and it’s only available through the end of 2021 so time is running out if you haven’t gotten one yet. Let’s see some of the cool projects inspired by it this year:
My Creative Squad got to play with this stamp in January this year and I love Maura’s Color Story project here where she used the Love Story foam stamp as if it were stained glass with paint and collage. Pretty cool way to make the design pop and to use up some collage papers too!
Robin used Love Story to create this mini book project about her love of gardening. She used elements of the stamp as little peek-a-boo doors into her garden and all the wonderful things she grows there.
Jordan worked in her art journal and used Love Story as the backdrop and facing page design to help her tell the story of her journey as an artist. You can see how she builds this composition in the original post here.
Emilie created a gorgeous piece of art for her son’s room with Love Story and we just love how she used white embossing powder and watercolor with the stamp. See how it comes together in this post.
I like to take elements from the Love Story foam stamp and collage them into an art journal page as I have in this spread. Isn’t it crazy how just a few simple shapes can still tell a story?
And finally here is Love Story in a simple but bold arrangement with a couple of my Mini Motifs foam stamps too. Just black ink and water soluble crayons and ta-da – pretty nifty design for this art journal page.
Just a few of these stamps are left here in my shop so hurry in and start telling your Love Story too!
My latest ArtFoamies foam stamp designs are released today! I am excited about this grouping as some are familiar and others are newly inspired by my Stroll Through the Hood walks and paintings :)
First let me introduce some of those newbies:
First up is Row Houses – a neighborhood scene of 4 lovely houses, all lined up and full of architectural detail. This is based on my “Neo Greek to Me” painting and a spot in my neighborhood that always catches my eye.
Next up is Church – inspired by St. John’s Church in my hood and my painting “Where is Tiffany” that considers the whole story behind that building.
Next we have a familiar face – Lady Liberty – from my Stroll through the Hood rubber stamps but this one is BIG and BOLD. I am already loving how it has a street art vibe to it.
Hydrant is another that first made its debut in my Stroll Through the Hood rubber stamps. It’s such a fun design that I thought it’d be perfect as a BIG foam stamp too.
Powerhouse is another familiar one and this one I’m excited about because it is almost the same size as the rubber stamp version. You can use them together for an offset print. Pretty cool, eh?
And finally, Brownstone – another favorite from the Stroll rubber stamps too and again, similar in size to the rubber stamp version so lots of layering fun is possible!
I can’t wait to play more with these designs and share some of my projects. I’m digging how bold they are and am thinking about some future play date projects on other surfaces. In the meantime, I hope you check out the new foam stamps here and get inspired too!
This month I am doing a stencil mash-up with StencilGirl’s very own Mary Beth Shaw for their StencilClub! This is an exclusive 3 stencil set for July 2021 if you are part of their StencilClub (Info here). It’s a mash-up so it includes design motifs from each of us, combined in a new way and new scale. Here is a little video introduction to the stencils with Mary Beth and myself:
I love how our patterns work together in this set and oh my, that little elephant is pretty cute! We had fun testing these out and I wanted to share a little sneak peak with you:
Here are the details: You get all three exclusive member stencils when you join StencilClub.
The large 9×12 inch stencil is easy to use to create repeating patterns. It evolved from Mary Beth’s Leaf Diamond and my Hamilton stencils.
The small 6×6 inch pulls in elements perfect for layering to create stunning patterns.
A baby elephant completes the set as a mini 4×4 inch stencil, open, so you can paint one color and then slide another stencil underneath and paint with a contrasting color.
You also get a Project video and PDF that Mary Beth and I made especially for you that you can download and keep.
The set ships out to members on July 15th. Can’t wait to see them in action!
Here is the link for StencilClub to get yours.
This is such a versatile artfoamie! I love it!
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