Today I'm sharing my current 2023 favorite stamp carving tools. If you have any supply questions, feel free to ask! Here's the list: Speedy Carve Plastic Photo Boxes Self Healing Cutting Mat or Glass Mat Clear Grid Ruler Clear Grid Ruler with a Metal Edge Speedball Linoleum Cutter Kit Flexcut Mini Palm Tools Permapaque Dual Tipped Markers Bone Folder Box Cutter Clear Stamp Blocks Carve December Work Book class Archival Ink Pads VersaFine Clair Ink Pads I hope you'll join in on the fun! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

It's time to prepare for #CarveDecember2023! Here are the official prompts: What is #CarveDecember? It's a free-open-to-everyone online challenge to carve a stamp every day in December and post it online. Why would I do this? Here are a few reasons: Skill Development: Daily practice in stamp carving throughout the month can significantly enhance your skills. You'll have the opportunity to experiment with different carving techniques and develop your expertise. Creativity Boost: The daily requirement encourages you to think creatively and push your boundaries. When you have to come up with a new piece every day, you're more likely to... Read more →

Way back in June, I hosted a wonderful group of women for a Printmaker's Party! It was a fabulous three day smorgasbord of printmaking techniques -- screenprinting, stamping, stenciling, and monoprinting. We tried so many different techniques. And, as you'll see in the photos, I encouraged the students to use the same or similar images with each of the techniques so that they could see focus on the technique rather than design. So grab a hot beverage and take a peek at all the fun we had: There were friends-in-real-life, friends-from-online-who-met-for-the-first-time, a mother-daughter duo, and a few repeat students. They... Read more →

Do you have a holiday card tradition? I have long wanted to start a tradition of sending out handmade cards each holiday season. But I always think about it at the beginning of December, which is obviously too late. This year, I’m ahead of the game! I used my #CarveDecember Workbook and went through all the steps that class teaches: research, sketching, troubleshooting... ...and then ended up with this hand carved block: When I was carving it, I knew that I wanted to make chine-collé prints with it. Here's what the first batch looks like: Because they're chine-collé prints, each... Read more →

Yesterday's Book Club was super fun, as always! We discussed Modern Block Printing by Rowan Sivyer. You can listen to my Adventures in Arting podcast interview with Rowan from 2020, HERE. And if you didn't get a chance to catch Book Club live, here's the replay: Here is the stamp I carved during Book Club: If you're interested in learning more about printmaking, I hope you'll consider coming to Printmakers Party in June. You can find all of my in-person classes HERE. And all of my online stamp carving classes HERE. The March-April Book Clubs are going to be a... Read more →

As promised, here is a flip through of my Carve December Work Book: Some student feedback from class: “The Workbook Class is one of the best classes I ever invested in….This class is a great too for helping you think things through. Watching Julie go through the process has helped me ask similar questions that I hadn’t thought of. It’s making the process so much easier than I thought it would. I can’t imagine going back to just making it up on the fly. I love thinking it through!” – Joanne “One of the most valuable teaching moments you provide,... Read more →

It's always so difficult to say goodbye to #CarveDecember. It is an adrenaline pumping creative marathon. As always, I am blown away by the amazing display of creativity and artistry. It's amazing how people's brains work! Here is a curated look at what I carved, along with a few personal favorites from other talented artists. DAY 27: artificial DAY 28: light DAY 29: naive DAY 30: messy DAY 31: peaceful What a wonderful way to crash into 2023. So much creativity and artistry and growth. Tomorrow I'll share a flip through of my Carve December Work Book and all the... Read more →

I can hardly believe that #CarveDecember is almost over. It has, once again, been an amazing display of creativity and artistry. It's amazing how people's brains work! Here is a curated look at what I carved, along with a few personal favorites from other talented artists. DAY 23: calm DAY 24: hard DAY 25: jolly DAY 26: bold What a wonderful bounty of creative inspiration, don't you agree? If you're carving along this December, I'd love to know what you've enjoyed most about the experience. If you're not carving along at the moment, I'd love to know why you're not?... Read more →

I love all the creativity that #CarveDecember seems to bring out in people. I always like to share the different takes on the same prompt. It's amazing how people's brains work! Here is a curated look at what I carved, along with a few personal favorites from other talented artists. (If you think you're not a prompt person, my Carve December Workbook class will change your mind forever.) DAY 19: grunge DAY 20: bubble DAY 21: texture DAY 22: big Remember: It's never too late to jump in and join the #CarveDecember fun. There's still more than a week to... Read more →

I love all the creativity that #CarveDecember seems to bring out in people. I always like to share the different takes on the same prompt. It's amazing how people's brains work! Here is a curated look at what I carved, along with a few personal favorites from other talented artists. (If you think you're not a prompt person, my Carve December Workbook class will change your mind forever.) DAY 13: thoughtful DAY 14: baroque DAY 15: soft DAY 16: plaid DAY 17: intricate DAY 18: clear Finally, I wanted to share these three off-prompt posts that contain really good ideas... Read more →