"Rosetta Line" Stamp

"Marigold Heart" Stamp

The size of a nickel. But worth far more.

"Lily Fan" Stamp

Lilies, Lilies, and MORE LILIES!

"Compass Rose" Stamp

I found a circular piece of wood kicking around the house and thought it must be dying to become a stamp. And I have always loved the 8-point star on maps, so ...

Tweaking Tulips

This remains my *Tulip Curve* stamp, but has been much improved in appearance. I decided I needed to carve out the design in more detail. This stamp now uses far less ink with each application.

Filling a void

The thing about an Etsy Shop is you never know when a sale will be made. Sunday evening I came home to find that five of my stamps had been scooped up! Each and every sale is a thrill, but the notes of encouragement that come with them are often worth far more...

Your stamps are fabulous! They absolutely fill a void I didn't even realize I had until I saw them! Thank you so much...keep carving!- Kathleen

A few ways to say Thank You

I have way too much fun trying to creatively say thanks. In the hospital, my mom-in-law blessed me with a two-in-one gift of flowers in a glass jar vase. She nestled the silver lid in with the flowers so I knew that the jar was a gift as well. It inspired me to give in a similar way. A good friend lived-in with us for a week after Isaiah was born. She and I took a trip to our local bakery with the kids and she was soooo impressed with the baking there. So, it only seemed fitting to bring some of that baking to her. I managed to stuff four enormous apple fritters into a glass jar and offered it to her when next I saw her. I believe she partook of the offering immediately.

I also made use of my *Lily Quill* & my *Daisy Detail* stamps to say

THANK YOU
to everyone who helped and supported us during these baby days.

Handmade goodness

I love, love, LOVE receiving handmade gifts.

Here are a few that came my way for Isaiah: A tiny little, chocolate brown, crocheted cap from Irene. It is absolutely adorable. I have taken to calling it Isaiah's "Acorn cap." Sooooo cute.

The thickest, heaviest, coziest blanket sewed by Cindy.

Aunty Karin's beautifully boyish stash of receiving blankets. She supported my argument that Isaiah ought to have just a few new things for himself.

I am determined to work on handmade items for any new babies coming along in future.

ETSY Favourites: Silver Coins

Three coins. . . and a starfish. Silver jewelry I find refreshingly different.
SHOP: Casto Creations

ETSY Favourites: Baby Things

These are few of my favourite baby items I've stumbled across on ETSY. Now that I have baby on the brain. . .

1. "Little Sister" Quilt by TweedleBee 2. "Watermelon hat" by Chimeracrochet 3. "Ultimate Sock Monkey" by strumpfkunst 4. "Fat, Flying Unicorn Baby Set" by nisfornate

My baby boy

He's Home.
Isaiah Daniel.

Inspiration in Books: Kinuko Craft

Kinuko Y. Craft:
My FAVOURITE illustrator.
I say this with confidence. This woman must spend months on each canvas. The detail is incredible. The colours are heart achingly rich. The worlds she creates pull on you. These are a few of the children's books she has illustrated that can be found up high in my book shelves. (Brought down only for story time when I can turn the pages for little eyes to see.) I will publish many "Inspiration" posts displaying her illustrations in future. They are too beautiful to keep to myself.

Baby break

Wisp of Whimsy will be a quiet place for the next week as I become acquainted with my fourth baby, who is due to arrive tomorrow afternoon.
Creativity on Hold...

Stamp Doodles

Whenever I think of a stamp I would like to carve, I sketch out the detail. Here are a few you will likely find carved into rubber someday soon.