January 2004 -- Mary W.
"Asian Tag Book"

(Click on picture for instructions)

How long have you been stamping?
Approx 8 years, but more intensely 5 years

What is your favorite technique?
I love doing all sorts of things, and I love learning new techniques as well. I like Luna Lights, credit card, polished stone, DTP

Favorite stamp company?
I have lots of them: Oxford Impressions, Collections,
Stone House Stamps, Non Sequitur, Chapel Road, some Magenta. These are a few.

Favorite Asian stamps?
Stone House, Gotcha Images, I love the Asian pears, by Cards’n Stamps.

Favorite stamping accessory? (i.e. EP, UTEE, Pearl-Ex, punch)
I love Opals, which is a type of Utee. I also love Walnut Ink, and my Asian Punches.

Favorite colours?
That’s hard as I love all colours, but I tend to use autumn tones, reds and blacks, teals and purples.

You’re favorite embellishment to finish a card?
I love eyelets, as there is so much you can do with them. I love those tiny ones that are 1/16. I use them as holes for shoe laces, and earrings, etc.

What is the one tool you couldn’t live without? (i.e. X-acto knife, heat gun, glue stick, sponge)
I love my X-acto knife, but my Spacers from Stamp It, I couldn’t live
without, as they measure accurately each layer and border around the card.

Any helpful tips for the group?
Not really, I’m open to suggestions!!! Seriously, though, I guess-- just have faith in yourself. I read lots of magazines. I am very critical of what I make, I would like 50% of what I make.

As a member of the Oriental Stamp Art group on yahoo, why do you like stamping in the Oriental theme?
Probably because I have an oriental background, I was born in Malaya, went to school in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Is there any one place or city you’d like to visit to find rubberstamps,
supplies, or Asian art elements?
Yes, I’d love to come to America and have a few days or weeks with my stamp/pen pals, Cheryl Helm and Barbara Gibbons, and spend a fortune on papers and stamps then head off to Japan for my Asian bits and pieces.

What other stamping lists or clubs do you belong to?
StampHappy

What favorite Stamping magazines would you recommend?
Stampers Sampler, Inspirations, Rubber Gazette, Rubber Stamper

Published in any magazines? If yes, please list.
Published in Stampers Sampler and then I had an article on Luna Lights in Paper Arts Magazine.

Any other hobbies, talents or craft interests?
I used to be an avid scuba diver, until I had an accident 8 years ago. I never did any sort of craft. I was too busy with the latest sports and activities. I had to find some thing to do as I had to give up my passion, now stamping has taken over.

What inspires you to be creative? i.e. do you listen to music while you
stamp or watch TV, keep an art journal?
I have to be in the mood. If it’s not there, then it’s pointless, me trying to create a piece of art. Once I am on a roll, then I keep going until I nearly drop.

Any art background ?
None whatsoever.

Have you used any unusual item in your stamping that wasn’t necessarily meant for stamping? (i.e. found item or household item )
Yes, my husband is a plumber, and I often go through his tools in search of washers, bits of metal, lead, etc.

Any favorite books on stamping or art techniques that you would
recommend? Any on Asian arts & crafts?
I have a small book by Yasutomo, called Mingei Crafts. It has some nice bits and pieces in it. Then, I have lots of stamping related books, all with different things, like altered books, etc.

Do you have a day job when you’re not stamping?
No I am lucky in one way, as after my accident, I had all my joints replaced, (I think around 28 operations to date) so my mobility isn’t fantastic. I was a nurse in the operating theatre for 23 years, so I reckon I deserve time out now.

Tell us about your family and where you live.
I have been married to Stephen for 28 years we have been together since we were 18. I have two children, Helen 26 and Mark 24. Helen is a nurse, married to Anthony, and pregnant with my first Grandchild. Mark is a policeman and works in Byron Bay, which is a popular holiday town here. He is single. I have a Maltese dog. She is 10 and very spoilt. We migrated here from England in 89, decided there must be a better life style for the kids. We are so lucky, as we have been to the Barrier Reef, have been four-wheel driving on Fraser Island and Moreton Island. It’s great for the children to have so much to do. We chose this area simply because of the weather. We have no regrets either. All my family live out here now, parents, sister, and her 3 kids. My brother, his wife and 2 boys. Hubby’s family are still in England.
I had a brain infection (encephalitis) in 98 as a result of an operation that went wrong, and I had to re-learn everything, including how to stamp! I was on life support for 6 weeks, and my family was told I could never be left alone, and I wouldn’t be able to look after myself. That proves doctors are not always right. We now live close to the beach. We are building a new house, and should be in by Easter, (but then we should have been in by Christmas) (joke). More importantly, I shall have a nice new stamp room, it’s going to be about 13 foot square. It has a door opening out onto a lovely verandah, and a huge cupboard. Lots of natural light, I can’t wait. I guess I had better stop, otherwise you will be bored to tears. Thanks for reading,
hugs Maryxoxo

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR "Asian Tag Book"

Materials:
1. 4 Tags: size 6 and a half inches by 3 and a half inches.
2. 3 1inch circle tags: 2 plain and one vellum.
3. 3 different pieces of Chinese decorative papers.
4. Wax or utee
5. Skeleton leaves
6. Postage stamps, some I had real ones, some I stamped.
7. Asian Stamps of your choice.
8. Gold leaf and Mizuhiki cord.
9. Threads and some bells, tape for the spine.

To start with, I sponged all four tags with some walnut ink, you can do
whatever you please. Then, I left them to dry. After that, I scored all the tags 3 and a half inches from the top end (hole).

Now to assemble the tags:
Glue the 1st tag to the 2nd tag at the bottom ends of the tags. Now glue the 2nd tag to the 3rd tag at the top end (hole) of those tags. And finally, the 3rd tag to the 4th tag, at the bottom of the tags. Now you have a book with 2 little pages and one big page. Now join them all together using the tape, I used book -binders tape.

Now, to begin: Firstly, I stamped on the small 1” circle tags and left them to dry. Then I stamped the Kimono onto my shrink plastic, coloured it and shrunk it with the heat gun, put aside till last. Then, I glued Chinese papers to one side of each tag, leaving one blank page to stamp on. Then, it’s up to you how you finish it off. I stamped some images, used postage stamps, skeleton leaves, seals and wax. I also added a small amount of glue to the reinforced areas of the holes on the tags, and then added gold leaf. Finally, I added my threads and attached some little bells. Leaving the shrunk Kimono and letter tiles until last, along with Mizuhiki cord, which I glued down the side of the spine. That’s it. It’s a good project, as you can use this idea with whatever theme, you like, for instance, Egyptian, etc.
Have fun!
Mary

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