March 2007 - Donna M.
"Friends"

donnam@orientalstampart.com
Boston, MA

(Click on picture for instructions)

How long have you been stamping?
I have been stamping for about 11 years.  My first rubber stamps were purchased via mail from Embossing Arts.  I had seen an advertisement in a magazine, don’t know what magazine it was maybe Victoria or something like that, and sent for the catalog.  I was in heaven when that catalog arrived.

What is your favorite technique?
I love to layer things, it can be paper torn or not, ink, paint, even fiber or foil.  Sometimes I like to do it ever so neatly and then other times very haphazardly.  I enjoy this technique because I can use it on all kinds of things besides cards

Favorite stamp company?
It would be impossible for me to have a favorite stamp company, as there are too many good ones.  I am always looking for something new to use.

Favorite Asian stamps?
I like to use Oriental stamps that stand alone well.  I don’t always feel in the mood to color what I have stamped.  If a stamp looks good in black and white or simply stamped on a piece of colored card stock then I am apt to use that one.  My real favorites are geishas.

Favorite stamp accessory?
If  there is one it would have to be my paper cutter.  The thing is though that my favorite is usually the one I am using at the moment.

Favorite colors?
For a very large part of my life purple was my favorite color. I have come to love just about all colors in the past few years though.  At various times I find myself leaning toward colors I never thought I would use.

It is really great as it applies to my home and clothing too.  If has been so refreshing to broaden my palette.

Favorite embellishment to finish a card?
I love using German scrap; much of it works beautifully with Oriental stamps.  (Germen scrap is decorative foil papers.  This link will show you some.)

http://www.artchixstudio.com/mall/abpgscrap.asp

What is the one tool you couldn't live without?
That would be adhesive.  I have several favorites including Glossy Accents by Ranger and Golden Gel Mediums.  A good glue stick and some double stick tape are two others that I keep near.

Any helpful tips for the group?
Sit down and create!  If you can’t summon up an idea just start cleaning up your supplies; before you know it something will speak to you.  Look at everything with the question in your mind, “What can I do with this?”

As a member of the Oriental Stamp Art Group, why do you like stamping in the Oriental theme?
I have always enjoyed Oriental art because of its gentleness and simple beauty.  I love to have a few Oriental items in sight in my home as I find it relaxing to just look at them from time to time.

Is there any one place you'd like to visit to find rubberstamps, supplies or any other Asian elements?
Not for rubber stamps as I think we have all that we need available to us right where we are.  I would however like to shop for paper in Japan.  I hear they have stores with 8 floors of  paper.   I would so love to see such a site.

What other stamping lists or clubs do you belong to?
I am very fortunate to have a local stamp store.  I usually take a class there once a week with the same group of gals.  I belong to several online groups one or two that focus on stamping and then others that are more mixed media.

What favorite stamping magazines would you recommend?
My favorite magazine is Somerset Studio and my second favorite is Cloth Paper Scissors.  Neither of these is strictly stamping and that is probably why I like them.  My local store carries many stamping magazines and if I see something that calls to me I will pick it up.  I think we all have different tastes and styles so I really can’t suggest just one.

Published in any magazines? If yes, please list.
I have not submitted anything of my own.  I did submit a swap one time and have not heard anything about it.  It is only a couple of years ago though so I haven’t given up.

Any other hobbies, crafts or art interests?
Yes I enjoy altering things especially books and I have made many ATCs.  I do collages with everything from ink, paint, paper, fabric, bees wax, spackle and anything else I think interesting at the time.

What inspires you to be creative?
The major influence on most of what I do is life and how I am feeling about it when I sit down to art.  My frame of mind often changes mid-stream so I end up with something entirely different than what I thought I was doing.

Any art background?
None.  I always wanted to be artistic but was way too intimidated early on.  Rubber stamps opened a whole new world to me.

Have you used any unusual item in your stamping?
Yes, as mentioned above I have used spackle (joint compound).   I have also used pages from books, bits of old foil from candies, cellophane, nuts and bolts, and any other thing that I happen to have hanging around.

Any favorite websites you would recommend for inspiration?
Aside from the OSA website where you can see all the inspiration you could ever need for Oriental Stamping, I go to the gallery section of the company whose stamp I am using.  If I am not stamping then I Google what I want and take my pick from what is offered.  You just never know what you are going to find.

Do you have a day job when you're not stamping?
Not anymore.  When I first started stamping I had a regular 40 hour job.  About a year after I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia  I had to cut back to  20 hours a week.   A year later I was forced to retire.  To be honest I would have preferred to continue working.

Tell us about your family and where you live.
I live in Massachusettes about 40 miles north of Boston.  I have two adult children and two grandchildren.  There is one of each sex in each category.  I also have a grown stepdaughter.  I live with my husband Steven and our dog Lucy.   Prior to my illness I rode on the back of a Harley with my husband, he still rides as much as he can.  I miss this even more than I miss working.  If it weren’t for creativity I would probably be living at the funny farm.

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"Friends"
By Donna M.

donnam@orientalstampart.com

You will need:
Pink folded card measuring 4.25” wide by 5.50” tall
Piece of white glossy card stock measuring 3.125” wide by 2.75” tall
Piece of washi measuring 3.125” wide by 5.50” tall
Scrap of marbled card measuring 2.50” wide by 1” tall
11” of black Barouqe German Scrap (Art Chix Studio)
11” of 1/8” red line double stick tape
Black India Ink (Stewart Superior) or other waterproof ink pad
Pink Sharpie

Stamp Credits:
“Cho” by Inka Stamps
“Friends” by Inkadinkado

Instructions:

• Ink  Cho stamp with black India Ink and stamp on white glossy card stock.
• Heat set ink and color in selected areas with pink Sharpie.
• Apply glue to back of washi paper and attach to center of card front.
• Apply double stick tape to back of white glossy w/image and place on top of washi paper 1” down from top.
• Ink Friends stamp and stamp on marbled scrap.  When ink is dry apply double stick tape to back and stick down in center of washi and ¼” from bottom of card.
• Divide red line tape into two pieces 5.50” each and apply to pink card just outside of the washi paper on both sides.

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