Popping Colors In Seattle!

Spring truly equals color brilliance and sensory joy in Seattle after the gray period of winter! It's a gift from Mother Nature we all deeply appreciate every year.

May 22, 2025

Ooooooo! I love spring! This season fills me with colorful optimism, which needs constant refilling in today's world!

Seattle has been getting its regular doses of rainy days, which make everything green and grow unbelievably quickly! One minute, there are no leaves, and POOF, they’re everywhere. The flowers this year have been brilliant and more plentiful than ever.

This is a jam-packed newsletter! Thanks in advance for reading all the way to the end :)

My 100-Day Project Brings Carve-a-rama Delights! Let’s Share The Steps In Carving A Stamp Design Together.

I thought you might enjoy seeing the hand-carving process by watching me in action. This light bulb design and viewing of the process may inspire you to try carving a stamp or two. If you have any questions, please ask.

Re-inking Your Stamp Pad And A Snail Stamp Printing

This is stamp design #57 but this video shares a few more steps I use. Also included, you get see how easy it is to re-ink your stamp pad so you don’t have to keep buying these as the color runs out.

Stamps Ready To Be Hand-Carved

These Archival Ink pads work beautifully to add permanent color to the stamps. Do not use colors that are too dark, or you can’t see your lines. This is easy peasy to do!

Uncover the archival ink pad and lightly press it down onto your block with your design. The ink dries within seconds, and you are ready to hand-carve.

Great Reference Book

If you want a wonderful reference book with some fun projects to make, check out this book from Geninne D. Zlathis. It has been on my studio bookshelf for years, and I reread it to refresh some of the great tips in her book. She recommends stamping color onto your blocks before carving. Thank you, Gennine!

She is pure inspiration and multi-talented in many artistic mediums, including photography. If you are on Instagram, I recommend following her beautiful account. She sells her creations in her Etsy store.

Partial Collection Of My 100-Day Project Hand-Carved Stamps

As these accumulate in my studio drawer, I feel happy to be hanging in there and accomplishing my goal of making 100 of these. They will be with me for years to be used on all kinds of creative projects! My favorite project so far is shared below.

Hand Printed Tee Shirt For My Mom

I want to share this Mother’s Day T-shirt that I handprinted for my mom. She loves it!

Shadows Are Becoming A New Inspiration For Designs!

As the morning sunshine came streaming into our bedroom, this shadow captivated me! Addie was visiting!

My dog Addie, who crossed the rainbow bridge six years ago, used to bask in the warm rays of the rising sun on her favorite dog bed right below this shadow.

Rabbits had a special meaning for us. On our last walks, I had to carry her in my arms next to my heart, and we would find great joy watching wild rabbits. Whenever I encounter one on my daily walks, I know she is nearby, sending love.

Cats Being Cats

On my daily walk, I catch glimpses of neighborhood cats but this one was exceptional. Do you see the second cat?

The Next Day, This Cat Made A Window Appearance!

This beautiful cat is an older feline but a friendly one whenever she’s outside her house by the front gate. When we meet, she gives a great purr and does classic figure eights inside my lower legs. I love how cats do this when they are happy! Her intense expression in this photo made me think she might recognize me.

Georgia O’Keeffe “Shell Viewfinder” Moment

While on a beach walk on vacation recently, I picked up this shell. I immediately peered through the opening and thought of Georgia!

She’s been an ongoing inspiration throughout my creative life. Many of her painting compositions done in New Mexico featured perspectives through openings from found objects, especially animal skulls.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Ghost Ranch, you’ll experience the love of her creativity through the breathtaking beauty and coloration of the landscape!

Barnacle Rock Faces

I have discovered the joy of how barnacles make very expressive faces on rocks on a recent vacation beach walk. These were everywhere in stacks on the sand at low tide.

Stop Motion Fun Below

“Yola The Yak”

I wanted to share this first stop motion that I ever made from a few years back. The simplicity is what calls to me, even today, as my journey back to this creative form returns. Realism nor perfection in movement are not my style. Storytelling in whatever form it appears will be what I share with you all.

“Straw Kind Of Day”

Colorful paper straws in a glass vase in my studio, along with some paper and fabric strips nearby, brought this idea to life. I wanted to explore how expressive simple eye movement could be. It was fun to add a short narrative voiceover.