Proud of My Chipped Edges

I enjoy making stamps for other people as much as I enjoy make one for myself. I love the carving and stamping-all-over-the-place process, but I am not that efficient when it comes to wood cutting. It is common that I spend more time on the mounting than the carving itself. Sometimes I have to make more than one trial just to produce a piece of wood for one stamp. For example, if the edges too rough it can't be fixed just by sand-papering, I have to toss it away and start making new one. However, I also think a slightly chipped edge, unperfect square or saw blade marks emblem the unique touch for things made by hand.

I have been resting from making stamp since September last year and below are the first few stamps that I manage to mount recently.

Custom made stamp for Gula dan Mentega.

Second eproduction of Soulie's panda stamp.

Custom made for RestnRileks.

Terrarium stamps. Sold to Bethany in US.

Batik Rooster. Sold to Jombolom in UK.

Safety First set for my personal collection. They may go to my etsy shop.

***announcement***

In case anyone aware of my Birthday Challenge post, I am regret to say that I am already beyond the deadline and still owing 8 more stamps to complete the challenge. Nevertherless, I will continue the quest and once I manage to complete it, I will select one person to receive a free personalized handcarved rubber stamp. The winner may choose one design of my existing single stamp featured in this blog or my etsy shop and add your own name to it, or a customized stamp of your name. I assure you the stamp will come complete with its wooden mounting. Simply leave comment in any post labeled "Birthday Challenge" and I will randomly select the winner later.

Birthday Challenge - Stamp No.14-18

Safety First!

Inspired by the safety signages I saw at the entrance of a construction site yesterday.

9 more stamps! Yeehaa!!

Birthday Challenge : Stamp No.7 - 13

Happy Monday!

Sharing with you more stamps that I created on Friday and Saturday night.

7. Lolipop Plant

I was browsing through my messy sketchbook and saw some scribbles of lolipops. Suddenly, "TINGG!!". I got many emptied small pots, last time I used them to sow chilly, tomato and even strawberry on our balcony. Don't ask me about the strawberries, they never make more than 2 leaves while the chillies always gone before sun rise (because birds take breakfast earlier than us). Tomatoes? Don't ask me about the tomatoes. Now, let's plant some lolipop trees! This time, kill the ants first.

8 & 9 - Coffee Love

This kind of vintage pot reminds me of coffee, and coffee always reminds me of my mom. She makes the best coffee and let me share the secret *whispering*...."She put LOVE in the coffee"...shhh.

Cup and pot are carved separately so, they make two new stamps here.

10. Pot Plant

No coffee, no tea...it's sweet nectar inside. But I afraid this invention will force bee farms to be closed, and millions of bees will be unemployed.

11. In-vitro

Ahhha!...this one inspired by my final year project. We got hundreds of jars like this one in the lab. Gel is used instead of soil as the nutrient media. Each jar is labeled and when the culture is contaminated by any colony of fungus or bacteria, the plant will be disposed. In-vitro propagation is very sensitive and everything must be sterile. Each time we need to touch those bottles, we must wipe our hands with alcohol and burn the tips of each tools with bunsen burner. Oh! I miss the smell of ethanol and wearing my white coat again...Hm, for painting, maybe?

12. Love Terrarium

When I was 15, I made two terrariums using Horlicks bottle, planted with tiny plants I took from my mom's garden. I put it on the shelf of my room but I could hardly see the plants inside because the glass inner surface is heavily spoiled by water droplets. I guess photosynthesis managed to take place and the plants manage to survive for weeks (if not months). But, finally I threw them away. The bottles were hideous and they make my gloomy room looked even awful. No more attempts on terrarium again, until today.

13. Beansprout

The only reason I create this beansprout stamp is because, we had beansprout (taugeh) for lunch on Friday! Anyway, I love seedlings because they are such cute babies!

14 more stamps to go! Just leave comment in post labeled "birthday challenge" to win free personalized stamp from me. Winner will be selected randomly. If you notice, some stamps are already up for sale in my etsy shop!

Birthday Challenge

My carving tools and knives all started to rust because I haven't been carving for quite some time. With my birthday approaching the corner, I plan to have a little challenge with myself. The challenge is to design 27 new stamps inspired by all the common things around me; things that I like, own, dream, anything. I would like to share my random source of inspiration, and I will try my best to keep the progress updated in this blog.

I have been thinking about this challenge since last week, and for the past few days, I worked hard to come up with the first few batch of new stamps.

1. Fancy Box 1

Above is a doodle of a fancy small box, which I bought at Likas Mart Supermarket few years back while I was still studying at the local university. I only have RM11 or 12 in my pocket that time, but since I liked this box so much I bought it without hesitation, along with another artificial cactus, respectively cost RM6 and 4. I will try to snap a picture of the box later for you to view.

2. Fancy Box 2

Altered version of the original fancy box stamp. Does this one reminds you of Christmas?

3. Little Angle Lolipop

Some of you might have seen this illustration of little angel sitting on mushroom before. It is actually just a tiny doodle in my sketchbook. I color, scan and print it as bookmarks for my own use.

And this one, is the stamp version of the angel. I gave her some lace on the skirt, a crown and heart-shaped pendant!

4. Girl with Basket

This little girl with basket stamp, came from my sketchbook too. I was sitting with my hubby in front of the TV back from work, and think, "this girl would make a good stamp image"---and this was when the idea of birthday challege came to mind.

5. The Keeper

I love keys, and of all the keys dangling from the bunch I carry everyday in my bag...this one is my favourite. I love Thumbelina as a kid, and until today, whenever I see something that I like, I always imagine there's a small fairy sitting on it, smiling at me. What do you think of this one? Isn't she cute?

If you're asking why...

The round face, small nose and mouth is inspired by the gnome-like dolls belonged to me and my sister when we were kids. The doll's eyelids will shut when we lay it down. The one that belong to my sister got one eye damaged, because she pricked it down with her finger. Their eyes are simplified that way, to make carving easier.

6. Spinning Cup Thumbelina

I grew up in village, I never been to funfair until I was 17 and the only place I could see a giant cup like this was on TV. As a kid, my brain was really intrigued by the image of people sitting in giant cups. I thought, only Thumbelina can fit in all the cups we got in our kitchen, but if I can sit in a giant cup like that...I can be Tumbelina!

I only got the chance to sit on one at Genting Highland theme park a couple of years ago and like a kid I tried to make the cup spin faster and faster, with a smile on my face, thinking of my childhood memories.

Apart from that, this stamp also makes me feel like, "I want to drink tea!" Now! Now! Now!