Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!

From our family to yours, we wish you the best holiday season ever, and a prosperous New Year!

Santa's The Star

Using my collection of vintage turn-of-the-century Santa postcards, I had copies reduced and made these charming Santa gift tags. They are little mini collages and incorporate hand stamped images with sentiments of the season. They're perfect for packages, wine bottles or even ornaments for the tree!

These tags are available at http://www.fishintheatticstudio.etsy.com/

Vintage Ephemera Makes Great Cards!

Birthday Boy Greeting Card
I couldn't resist this adorable baby boy blowing out the candle of his first birthday cake. He came from a watch ad, in a 1940's magazine, that I recently purchased on Etsy. I had him color copied and reduced in size, at the local printer, then incorporated him into this cute card that I am selling on Etsy. I have an extensive collection of turn-of-the-century vintage ephemera that I've been using in my work, but just recently began buying mid-century ads for their retro appeal. Keep following to see what other finds I turn into greetings!
www.fishintheatticstudio.etsy.com

FALLING LEAVES AND MANY THANKS

This is a card I designed for the Stampsmith blog. The image is of a park in Paris, where the autumn leaves have already fallen. It is a photo stamp, which is made from an original photo, this one a vintage scene. The image is made into a rubber stamp, which can be inked and impressed on paper. The skeletal leaves are also stamps that were embossed in copper.

IS IT HALLOWEEN LOVE?

I got inspired by this Stampsmith image when I was searching for a Halloween card idea. What if the picture of this amorous couple wasn't all that it seemed? What if he were really someone dark and sinister? Is it love or just another pain in the neck? I guess we'll never know for sure!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Visit and view my post on The Stampsmith blog:

www.thestampsmith.blogspot.com

Paris Inspired Cards

For my guest artist submission to the Stampsmith blog, I designed a trio of cards inspired by the vintage style "Paris" stamp plate. I selected the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, and stamped each one with a different ink color. Then I color coordinated the cards using the three colors: eggplant, cranberry and mustard.

A young romantic couple smooches at Notre Dame Cathedral!

The Eiffel Tower, as seen through beautiful iron gates, has a majestic quality all it's own!

A vintage image of the Arc de Triomphe looks as grand then as is does today!

The Stampsmith blog:
http://www.thestampsmith.blogspot.com/

The Stampsmith website:

http://www.thestampsmith.com/

A Birthday Card with a Jolt!

I created this birthday card for The Stampsmith blog using the "Coffee Gal" stamp. She is the epitome of the 1950's housewife, with that June Cleaver twinkle in her eye. The background paper screamed 50's to me, with those starbursts that were so popular in wallpaper, drapes and clocks. She's got her morning java, and she's toasting your birthday with "Here's mud in your eye!".

Visit The Stampsmith blog to see more:
http://www.thestampsmith.blogspot.com/

Guest Artist for The Stampsmith!

I have been asked to be a guest artist for The Stampsmith blog, during the months of September and October. I am very excited to participate with such a great team of artists!

The Stampsmith, carries an exquisite line of rubber art stamps, including many vintage designs. Artists worldwide are featured on their website. Estelle, the owner, happens to live in nearby Huntington. She generously supplied me with stamps to create artwork to post on their blog. Here are just a few samples of cards created with these stamps.

" Wedding Bells" shows a romantic vintage couple who look like silent movie stars.

"Just Married" features an adorable newlywed couple in their old "jalopy"!

The Stampsmith blog:

http://www.thestampsmith.blogspot.com/

The Stampsmith website:

http://www.stampsmith.net/

HALLOWEEN GREETING CARDS

Here are a couple of Halloween cards I created last week for sale on Etsy, and the witch already sold!
Dreamy Witch Card
Monster Baby Card

Birthday Butterfly Girl

Over the summer, I created a card for my daughter's friend's birthday. I often use a rubber stamp that resembles my daughter when making cards or goody bag toppers for school. It sets them apart from everyone else, and there is no mistaking who it came from. The card recipient was a seven year old girl, so I created this adorable butterfly fairy who happens to look like my daughter.