'Seashells' Calligraphy Rubber Stamp

For those who enjoy rubber stamping... skip over to Suzi's Scribbles to see a 'give away' featuring a bit of my lettering... if you want to that is, lol!

Calligraphy Birthday Rubber Stamp

Ooh... how could i forget to tell you... the Birthday stamp I told you about a while ago is now available from Crafty Individuals

It began like this... with just light guidelines

 to keep me straight & in proportion

It grew to this.... building up the texture as I went... squinting through half closed eyes at times to judge how heavy or light the lettering should be & where... introducing contrast in size & weight & letterform, whilst trying to keep an overall unity

and finished up like this... just a bit of cleaning up to do. I used ruling pens & Mitchell nibs. You can see the finished result here

In hindsight, it could have done with an extra line of heavier text to match the border at the bottom, but hey... I reckon it works just fine!

Bleakness, Hope & New Year Blessings

These are not my words... but we were driving around in the snow earlier in the week & the skies were darkening. The landscape looked very bleak & for some reason I thought about this commission I did a few years ago. 

Skies darkened, clouds filled every void.

Darkness fell, guiding light extinguished.

Waves that crashed upon rocks.

Wind that blew.

All had gone.

Darkness. 

Stillness.

Emptiness.

Searching for the light

Heart from body ripped

Light from life imploded

Once whole, torn apart.

I found myself wondering about the person who asked for this... the words are so deeply moving. I know nothing about her or her story; the order came by email & I didn't ask, but I have often wondered... there is something raw & powerful conveyed in these few lines. I hope that time has been a healer for her, that the rawness has eased....

chinese liquid stick ink, silver powder, brause nib, compressed capitals

I've spent a fair bit of time thinking about & letting reiki flow to those going through that first Christmas after bereavement, especially when someone has died close to Christmas itself. Not just for those I know, but asking that those who need it receive the blessing of healing energy.

The bleakness of loss at this time of year is emphasized by the fact that it is supposed to be a time of festivity & everyone else seems to be going on their merry way around you, while all you can feel is a cold hole in your heart, while you go through the motions of acting ‘normally’. 

Of course grief affects everyone differently… the complicated chemical cocktail that makes us human creates different reactions & feelings. And grief isn’t solely caused by death…. separation, abandonment, illness, anything that causes a loss of hopes, dreams, future, trust, way of life… there’s many more, but sometimes we feel that ‘bleakness’ & don’t associate it with grief because no one close has died.

I read words like these & they really move me… so, as we move to the New Year I’m sending out my love & healing thoughts to those who are feeling the chill of loss… may you find comfort & the strength to re-build...

May the new decade that we enter be one of hope… may it burn inside us all, encouraging the sparks of light within us, to be a beacon of hope... a shining light that extends beyond ourselves to those around us…. our families & communities…. our countries… to the whole world & beyond….

New Year Blessings to you all xx

'Hope' Rubber Stamp available from http://craftyindividuals.co.uk/

Like a gleaming tapers light, hope shines, no matter how you look at it.

Great hopes make great people.

Nourish your hopes, cherish your dreams.

If you have never hoped you have never breathed.

Do not fear to hope.

Hold on to all hopes & follow your dreams- never let go.

Believe.

Never let go of hope.

Hope always shines.

Wedding Quotes & Rubber Stamp

While we're on the wedding theme, here's one of the rubber stamps I designed for Crafty Individuals...

(available from craftyindividuals.co.uk)

In the word wedding, notice that 'we' comes before 'I'.

Two hearts connected by a single thread.

You are two people but there is only one life before you.

Chains do not hold people together...
it is the hundreds of threads drawn from your heart.

You start off the day just two people in love
& end it as husband and wife.

Joy is the start of it, sharing is part of it, love is the heart of it.

May your lives be blessed with goodness & beauty
& may your days together be good & long upon the earth.

And here's another...

One heart, one soul.

Two hearts connected by a single thread.

Love can tell, and love alone, whence the million stars are strewn.

No cord or cable can bind so fast or hold so forcibly
as love can do with a single thread.

Like morning bright, love comes without thy call.

A spirit bright, love never dies at all.

Two minds with but a single thought.

Grow old along with me, the very best is yet to be.

Dreams- Calligraphy Rubber Stamp Design

I’ve been pleasing myself lately with regard to the material I have been using in my calligraphy. Having barely written anything for a couple of years or so, I thought it high time that I tackled something I promised in what seems like another life-time. I have in the past designed rubber stamps for a delightful little company called Crafty Individuals…. go on, take a peek at their website…. even if the only creative bone in your body is in your little toe, you will find something here to inspire you in an arty-crafty way! They may be small, but their reputation is growing world-wide.

I set off with a Happy Birthday design, which took a bit of getting in to (it has been a while!) but things started to gel & this 'dream' one just flowed from my pen. Both designs have been accepted but I'm not sure how soon they will be available. There are quite a few others that i have done here... similar style with positive thoughts, Hope, Believe, Angels, Friends, Love etc (i'll post some pics with the quotations soon) Here it is on a painted background...

Dream Quotations...

Chase your dream, catch that star, always believe in who you truly are.

Believe in the power of your dreams.

Dreams are the true reality.

Explore, dream, discover.

Imagine, feel, hope & dream.

If dreams are wishes we have in our sleep, may all your dreams be yours to keep.

Hopefully, plenty of people will want to use it their crafting & pass on the encouragement to others. Because it's by having dreams that changes existing into living.... and the little dreams are as important as the big ones. We tend to focus on the ‘big’ ones & don’t always give ourselves credit for achieving the simpler ones. So, chase your dream, catch that star, and always believe in who you truly are.