Last weekend I spent some time going through the mounds of older stamps I carved and got lost for hours and hours sorting them. Seeing all those stamps brought me back to the time I carved them - to the people and boxes they were made for - and even all the way back to the very first stamps I carved (with erasers from the dollar tree hehe.) Going through them (and then looking at my oldest photos from early 2019) left me feeling nostalgic and wishing I could go back to that time. To that self that was so full of dreams and so full of confidence and innocence. At that time, it all seemed so easy - the thought of bringing all my ideas from my mind to my hands to others - was going to be so fun and exciting and I just couldn't wait. 

If I could go back and tell that self something, I would say, "wait! Hold up!. You might want to take this a little slower. You might want to do a little research first. Learn some things before you dive head first in shallow waters. Make sure you know what you want and what your goals are before you start".  Knowing myself, I probably wouldn't have listened - I would have still jumped - but maybe, just maybe it would have went a little differently. 

I am happy to still be here three years later. I am incredibly humbled and grateful that some of you all are still here with me. It is no secret that I am my own worst enemy, but for the most part, I am still here and I keep finding myself right back at the beginning - either with a new stamp or idea or feeling or state of mind - it all keeps bringing me back to where I started and why. 

This was not much of blog...I cannot seem to put together my words today - connect my thoughts and feelings with my fingers in order to type, so I will just leave you all with a throw back photo today.  

(it's so neat to see how I have evolved from the very first papers I made back in early 2019 :D - some of them make me cringe  and wonder what on earth was I thinking hahaha ) 

  It's not often I play with vintage items, but I received some happy mail from a dear friend of mine, Sarah @sarahsvintagepaper and it was full of these lovely aged vintage booklets. 

As soon as I saw them, I started thinking about making an envelope with them, but didn't have time at that moment - so I set it aside for a later time. 

When I was notified that I forgot to add a narrow envelope in someone's order, I couldn't just send the missing product ... I had to also send a small goody bag as well. I almost took out my new favorite glassine paper that I recently got from Japan, but I saw that happy mail sitting there and said "nope! Im going to use that lovely vintage pad" and I did. And I love how it came out. 

I did video the whole process of making the narrow envelope and the goody bag and it is currently being uploaded on to youtube. I hope to have it up and running soon. 

For someone who doesn't really 'do' vintage, I really enjoyed using these and love how the envelope came out. If you are currently waiting on an order (not the #5) one of these vintage envelopes will be in your order - I hope you like them :) 

 (Repost from 2021) 

Not long after I tried my hand at eco-printing for the first time, I tried another form of printing using flowers. The new experiment (new to me) is called Tataki-Zome (or flower pounding).

Again, I was amazed at how beautiful the papers and cloth turned out. I find it absolutely fascinating how you can pick flowers by the side of the road and make these amazing creations with them - nature is a never-ending wonder full of possibilities and surprises. 

(I used Greenthreads because they're abundant in my area during late Spring and early Summer) 

The same thing happened this time as it did last time - different papers produced different colors using the same flowers and process. I was told it is related to the Acidity or Iron content in the water/papers,  but I have not confirmed that information so please do your research if you'd like to know more.

It doesn't bother me at all, I think the colors are beautiful no matter what - Paper is handmade Danshi (Made In Japan) 

I believe these papers were Mulberry thick and Niyodo

Can you see the details in the prints? Beautiful! 

The Danshi, again (below). Funny thing is, I steamed some of the batches and pounded the others, but no matter the process, the same papers produced the same colors whether they were pounded or steamed. (some yellow, some red orange) 

The Tataki-Zomé method (below) on the same hand made Danshi

This process works with any flower - not always the best results though. The only thing to note is that while they're beautiful on the cloth, once washed, they do tend to bleed and turn more orange than yellow - and will stain other items it comes in contact with when wet. I did mordant the fabric prior to working with it, but I suspect it has a lot to do with the actual flower itself. Some flowers are great for eco-printing and pounding, others not so great. It's best to do some research if you want to try this. As for the paper, it was fine. No bleeding at all using the Tataki-Zomé method and came out beautiful. 

When Spring rolls around, keep an eye out for Greenthreads on the side of the road. 

Have Fun! 

(Repost from 2021)

I stumbled upon some photos of shirts that were eco-printed using flowers and I was left in awe with how beautiful they were. I immediately starting researching more about eco - printing and then...well, then I bought flowers - lots of them! - and got to work.

I eco-printed some handkerchiefs ...

Then I pulled out some beautiful papers - Unryu, Kinwashi, and Kozo - and the results were amazing! Different papers resulted in different colors using the exact same flowers - I am sure there's some scientific reason for it, but I do not know what that is. 

Looking back at these photos is getting me excited for Spring when the Coreopsis bloom again - and I get to eco - print again....on EVERYTHING!