michelle ward

for the record

There was some chatter that arose after Tim Holtz made his announcements for the Stampers Anonymous new stamp releases for CHA last week.  He made it clear he is not taking credit for designing the "Classic Favorites" collection - he simply chose his favorites from the archives of red rubber wood mounted stamps done by other artists.  These are being re-released as cling vinyl.  As a former designer for Stampers Anonymous, many friends and fans of the line have emailed me about it.  I'll bet there are many of you who are not clear which ones I designed so I thought I would go on record with a set of illustrations below.  At a later date I will put together my entire Stampers Anonymous portfolio of images that have been selling for thirteen years....for the record. 

 

 

Questions have been asked as to why Tim's name is on the collection and not the original artists.  To be fair, the early artists never had their names on the stamps.  It was not the policy of the company or the original owner.  In fact, the new owner of Stampers Anonymous may not be entirely clear who can claim the designs.  I can only speak up for myself, go on record, and point out which ones were done by me - especially since many of you have inquired.  I have to say it's pretty cool that after many, many years, these images are still considered "favorites".

i'm glowing

What a fabulous event!  The nervous anticipation quickly melted away as I walked into the classroom and started meeting the enthusiastic artists who came ready to learn, make connections, and crank out some really cool work.  It was a joy to embrace old friends, to be introduced to faces with familiar names, and to meet so many new creatives at this venue.  It was a great location, was so well run, and was just pure fun.  I love the energy that fills a room when open minds and open hearts are on full display.  I wish I would have taken more photos as evidence because I loved what I saw on the tables - each artist bringing their own flair to the process.  It was a beautiful thing to witness.  I am glowing.

 

 

Special thanks to Maggie, Rebecca, Bev, and Jenn, for having me and hosting CREATE NJ.  I look forward to next year!  Same time, same place.  Thanks to all the shoppers who stopped by my table on vendor night.  Fallon was my assistant, and felt like a rock star :)  The biggest thanks goes to my students, especially the repeat offenders who came for both classes.  YOU ALL ROCKED.  While I hope you will continue working in your journals and keep trying some of the things we did, the most important thing I hope you take away from the weekend is the enthusiasm for creativity.  *blows kisses*

We have a winner!

Wow!  I love seeing all your names and comments!  Thanks for stopping by and showing me that you were here.  It is so nice to know you are out there!

Congrats to Theresa Leo!  Her name was drawn from the top hat as the winner for the three new stencils.  How fun that I get to pass them off to her in person as we will both be at CREATE NJ.  Haven't seen her in a loooong time - that goes for many of my other local artist friends.  Can't wait for tomorrow!

 

I'm all packed up and ready for two classes plus vending.  It has been so nice to prep and sort and not worry about shipping all the supplies.  I will just pile these into the van in the morning and drive less than three miles to the event.  It's so nice they planned this in my backyard!

Hope you're staying cool and hydrated.  The humidity - bleh!  Had a big storm (which I love) but it didn't bring down the temp AND it kept us out of the pool.  We could use a little less red on the thermometer, don't you think?

700th post! Giveway time!

Just today I discovered that this post is my 700th!  So as I was playing out in the yard with my just-arrived-new-stencils I thought it would be the perfect thing to share for a giveaway.  Leave a comment at the bottom of the post and you'll be entered in the drawing to win all three of these 6" x 6" lovelies.  You don't have to say anything fancy, just *wave* or type: Count Me In. 

EDIT:  entries for drawing will be accepted until midnight Wednesday.  I will announce winner on Thursday.

four years

I miss your sweet face.  I miss your sweet giggle.  I miss our friendship.  I miss you my sister.  xoxo

have a star spangled day

Hope you have a fun fourth!  It's always a little odd when it falls in the middle of the week, isn't it?  Still, I'll take bbq with the family and fireworks anyday.

Last July I worked on three collections of stencils for my new venture with Stencil Girl.  They have been rolling them out, along with new designs from other artists on their team.  Here are the latest that I will have at my vendor table at CREATE NJ.  Both classes are sold out!  I'll be assembling the class kits over the next few weeks, and preparing stuff to sell.  I'm really looking forward to teaching so close to home!

The stencils are now listed for sale over at GreenPepperPress.com  You'll see they are full patterns of the borders that were released earlier.  I love having multiple sizes of patterns to work with which is why I also have these images available in two sizes as rubber sheets.  I should be getting the first delivery soon.

I told you my hands were wrist deep in a fun project...here is the proof.  I'll give you more clues about it in September, or maybe even late August.  Love having messy hands....don't you?