Fun Sale before the Summer

Since I'll be leaving for summer vacation from the middle of July, I thought I'd have a fun sale in the shop and make some nice stamps before the summer.

This is perfect if you want a nice personal stationary item for yourself (the smallest stamp costs $10 including international shipping), a birthday or wedding gift for a friend - the possibilities are endless since you get to choose what the stamp says!

This is how it works: go to my shop and look around at the stamps - this applies to any existing design in the shop and I have A LOT of them - pick the one you like, and check out. You'll see an "additional comment" box - that's where you can leave a name/sentence/phrase, anything less than 10 letters is free :)

If your text is longer than 10 letters, I'll charge $10 every 10 letters (starting at $10, and jumping at $10 marks, e.g. 23 letter -> 13 extra letters -> $20 extra).

I'll pick a font that looks nice with the design, but if you have any stylistic preference you can mention that in the comment too.

Here's an example: my friend's son really likes Batman and his name is Björn, so I go ahead and order the Batman Cutie stamp for him, leaving his name and an exclamation mark - "Björn!" - in the additional comment box at checkout, also saying "a comics-style font". Done!

My current turnaround is about 12 days; shipping takes around a week to non-European countries and about 3 days to Europe. If you have any other questions, you can reach me at tyr [at] thisisjusttosay.co or find me on my Facebook page :)

I also have a couple of new prints in the shop; they are not on sale but they are quite nice to look at.

Enjoy!
/Tian

Font Fiesta

I love working typography into my stamp designs. When I get requests for custom stamps, I sometimes get asked "are there fonts you recommend?" which I find hard to answer, most because fonts are like us and each one of them is so uniquely different!

Handmade stamps shown above: Handmade by + Your Name, Custom Stamp || Custom Return Address Stamp || Save the Date Stamp || Names in Heart Typography Stamp || Hearty Hands and Monogram Stamp || Handmade with Love Stamp

I decide to make this image (go chalkboard typography!) to show you some of my favorite fonts as well as give a nod of the head to some of the cinematic classics. Like I said, the fonts are all free, and if you click on the source address below the image you can go to the download page where you'll also be able to preview custom text in that pretty font.

Leave a message and share your favorite font and quote!

Fonts shown above: Lobester 1.4 (for this stamp) || Oldstyle || Refuse Trip || Coneria Script (used on this stamp) || KBSoThinteresting || Learning Curve || Olivier || Mossy

Girls in the Woods

A couple of days ago when I was on the bus I notices a huge chunk of bright orange fungi on a tree trunk by the side of the road. I couldn't get a good closer look though because the bus was going too fast, but I was so intrigued and decided to pay a visit the next day after the rain.

Look at it. Just look at it.

The creature (or creatures, maybe?) was just breath-taking. It's about 60cm/2 feet tall I showed the photo to one of my mushroom-expert friends and was told that this belongs to the species of...(*drumrolls) Laetiporus sulphureus. Here's what Wikipedia says:

"Laetiporus sulphureus is a species of bracket fungus (fungus that grows on trees) found in Europe and North America. Its common names are sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf, and chicken of the woods. Its fruit bodies grow as striking golden-yellow shelf-like structures on tree trunks and branches. ..."

Part of me really wanted to eat it but alas, it's just too beautiful.

Why am I writing about mushrooms and whatnots on a craft blog, you ask? Because 1) nature is awesome and 2) it is probably as inspiring as it gets! 

Another thing to love about the woods: randomness.

Onto the craft part of the blog... the first custom stamp I made last week was one for little Laura. Her family friend Victoria is a repeat customer of mine. For Laura's birthday, Victoria requested a custom Ex Libris stamp to personalize the little girl's book collection. 

Laura is a dark-haired girl who loves nature; for her stamp, I designed a girl in her likeness, wearing a garland made of bay laurel leaves (her namesake) with a little bird standing on her hand. 

I found this lovely piece of shell-shaped wood in my wood stump box and just had to design the stamp based on the amazing organic shape. Really happy with how it turned out!

The stamp measures app. 2.6" tall.

Another one I made is a portrait stamp for Jenny. She's my only customer from Brunei and I've made so many stamps for her I lost count:p This one is the prize from the last custom portrait stamp giveaway on my Facebook page (yes, I give out free stamps, even custom ones - so if you've not been there, you should!).

As you may have noticed, I love creating custom stamps based on the shapes of the wood mount. It just feels natural and... right.

Apart from these two stamps, I also sent orders to Cerritos CA, Albuquerque NM, Seattle WA, Gaithersburg MD, Wiltshire U.K., London, Santiago, Chile last week, to name just a few. I can't describe how happy I am when I pop the brown paper bags in the yellow post box, knowing how far they'll travel. 

Here's how the Swedish post boxes look. They are yellow and blue (blue ones not shown here) like the national flag.

Btw, did you know you could see a real-time map of where my last 20 orders went? It's here - on the bottom of the page - and it's my favorite little secret gadget on the site.

That's all for now! As some of you might know, I'm moving to a new crib early next month so if you order custom stamps later than June 28th, I most likely won't be able to ship it around July15th, so that's app. 17 days rather than my usual 7 day turnaround for custom orders.

Have a nice mid summer to you all! Ha en trevlig midsommar:)

Social Networking in a Nutshell

I love John Atkinson's cartoons. He has the funnies blog for them called Wrong Hands.

Below are two of my favorites:

Another illustration called "Vintage Social Networking" right after the jump!

Wedding Favors of Your Dreams

Back in April, my boyfriend Raffer and I got a wedding invitation from a friend of his who was planning to have a summer wedding in Norrköping, a city south from Stockholm. The couple requested custom stamps for their wedding stationary and I was inspired to make new stamps for newly weds.

I didn't want to make up with fake names and dates for the sample stamps (they'll just go to waste in that case) so in my newsletter to my frequent customers as well as on my Facebook page, I offered a custom wedding stamp giveaway. Having come up with a few different designs, I wanted to work with couples who would be having handmade/craft-themed weddings and create personalized stamps for them.

Cindy was one of the people that got in touch with me after reading my newsletter. She's the matron of honor for Brittany and Jason's wedding. After going through some details she decided on the design that best fit the theme and I created a stamp for Brittany and Jason.

A hand-carved stamp featuring two love birds on a branch and tiny heart-shaped leaves sprouting.

Yesterday Cindy was kind enough to send over the pictures she took of Brittany and Jason's wedding favors - simplistic brown paper bags with imprints of the personalized stamp. So simple yet stunning!

More pictures after the jump...

New Yeeeeear!

We celebrated the Chinese New Year this monday! 

It's the year of dragon and it's my year. Chinese people believe that you're to expect bad luck in your own year, which is why your family members and friends give you accessories or jewelry that are gold or red to ward off evil. I got a package from my mom a couple of weeks back so now I have a red bracelet with a gold dragon pendant on it, and ten red socks from my family:D And my roommate got me a huge red shawl for Christmas, so I'm feeling pretty protected now!

Here're some pictures I took of the fireworks over the City Hall and old town of Stockholm on the (Western) New Year's eve. 

How did you spend New Year's?

And some recent custom stamps:

Deep Autumn, or Early Winter

I've been incredibly busy recently. Apart from my shop, I'm: 

1) taking a Swedish course everyday

2) making a business plan for my shop here in Stockholm

3) helping out on an anthology which will be published by the English Department.

It's getting dark early now and after I bike home everyday from my Swedish course there's almost always a splendid sunset outside my window. The orange/red/purple sky reminds me of the Lion King somehow:)

My roommate discovered some mini prosciutto ravioli in a local organic food store. I tried some today for lunch with my regular chicken breast salad and it's just sooooo yummy. Some greens, a tomato, cooked ravioli and chicken breast pan-fried in olive oil plus the usuals, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Need I say more?

Asylum for the Insane

I was at a Stockholm Etsian gathering a couple of days ago. It was really inspiring and motivating.

Created a new treasury - the first one in almost a year (or more?). It's called Asylum for the Insane. Not sure whether it makes sense to you but it certainly makes sense to me.

Most of the items have been in my 'favorites' for some time and the bright colors and artists' talent really lights up the gloomy Stockholm autumn.

Old-ish Sketch

Happy as a Dog

I have to confess - I've been thinking about a custom pet portrait for soooo long. These stamps were completed more than a month (or two?) ago, but I've been traveling so much I didn't have the time to put up the listing till today.

They are really time-consuming to make but I'm really happy with the result. I can't wait to get some custom pet stamp orders!

For the past week I've been busy working for Stockholm Ink Bash, an annual tattoo convention in Stockholm. Such an eye-opening crowd! 

I'm talking with He, a super talented Chinese tattoo artist about a new tattoo. I sort of know what&where it's gonna be... So wait and see:D

Ink!

Ming, a friend of mine who's also an artist, asked me to design a tattoo for him. I really love his artworks and his style, and I always think that it's such a privilege to design tattoos for people because, well, they do last forever.

He wanted a wood-cut-styled deer head, and was pretty open to ideas. So I came up with this deer and made a stamp this morning, while listening to Orwell's 1984 audiobook. 

And below is a colored version, with water-color pencils. I'm still exploring with them.

And, finally, I get some vacation, which I haven't had for a whole hectic semester. I am leaving for London on friday, and will go to Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester after that. I will be going to an annual antique fair in London - my lovely house-owner offered the invitation. Then on the 28th, there is a conference on J. M. Coetzee, the South-African writer whose autobiographical works I'm writing my thesis on, in Leeds that I'll be attending with my supervisor. 

While looking forward to the wonderful weeks in the UK, I have two custom stamps to completed before I leave, and they are both for wedding invitations. The customers are really communicative and I'm really grateful for their trust.

Guess I'll see you in a while:D 

New Custom Portrait Stamp

New custom stamp!

I'm really grateful for customers like April - she's super informative, helpful and just fun to work with. And I'm happy with how the stamp turned out, especially the comic book/retro vibe.

Except for stamp making, I'm cycling a lot recently. Having lost my unreasonably expensive bus card a few weeks ago, I now realize that it might not be a bad thing after all. I pass by this amazing lake every time I go to school, and am always amazed by how mirror-like the water surface is under the clear summer sky.

Super Versatile Skeleton

To keep myself from going brain-dead from thesis-writing, I've been listening to audiobooks and making more stamps. Great combination.

This is an idea I've had for ages, and finally decided to make it happen yesterday night. The new two-toned rubber block I got from my supplier in Japan was absolutely delightful for carve stamps with a lot of details. I've used it for a couple of custom stamps and my customers are happy with it too. I think it looks super cool too.

I had so much fun with this super versatile dude. He's a bit crazy, just like me, and I think we're gonna get along really well. I saved this set for myself but if you'd like another set made I'll happily oblige! Leave a comment with your email address and I'll get in touch!

Another use for the stamps...

Printed on skin as a temporary tattoo:p

Winter Stockholm

Winter Berlin was a photo set by Mattias Heiderich I saw last year (and have been haunted––in a good way––ever since).

Then this winter I've been thinking about taking photos of winter Stockholm. It's been snowing like crazy (as usual) and it's only yesterday that I finally took my camera out. So here're a couple of pictures of my neighborhood, Lidingö, an quiet little island in the northeast of Stockholm.

Enjoy:)

100th Sale

I love coincidences. Today is the last day of 2010 and my little shop just had her 100th sale!

And yesterday I got a Moleskine and started my sketchbook project. Haven't done any 'serious doodling' for a while but it feels so right to be doodling again.

Deer and Stamps

The second snow this year fell this morning. I was making tea in the kitchen when I saw this roe deer in the our back yard.

We have deers visiting almost every winter. A couple of nights ago I opened my window and saw a unicorn staring at me in the darkness...

Here are a few stamps (and yes, my third unicorn stamp already) I made yesterday. Gonna list them later in the shop!

The Unbearable Darkness of Being

It's been unbelievably dark since the beginning of this month, and people (including me) are now stocking up candles for the long winter. The past few weeks have been so busy for me that I have more than 10 new stamps but absolutely no time to list them. When I'm finally less busy in the afternoon/evening, the poor lighting would make it impossible to take a decent picture of anything...

However, the good news is that if you have the patience to wait till this Sunday, a whole bunch of stamps are gonna be listed in my shop:D

Geeking Out

A collection of some of my favourite cartoon/video game characters. Which is your favourite character? Leave a comment and you might see him/her/it in my shop later:D (Do check out the Think Geek section - it's awesome.) Feel free to inspire me!

I probably do not have the time to list the stamps now since I'm going out to get booze for a party tonight, but I will list them as soon as I can, so stay tuned:p

Btw, I got a new mountain bike a couple of days ago - I LOVE CYCLING! Be prepared to see some bicycle stamps in the coming days...

Momma Told Me

It's Chinese Mid-Autumn Day today, a day for family reunion and, well, mooncakes!

My friend Kun is so good as making delicacies like these and I had the opportunity to be the first one to taste her creation. Yum!

Since I'm in Stockholm and all my family are back in China, the reunion part of Mid-Autumn Day this year can only happen thanks to Skype:)

Oh, some amazing news: my little shop has been featured on this amazing blog, Momma Told Me. You'll have the chance to win a custom stamp or any stamp of your choice in my shop if you have some luck. Click on the link to the blog to check out how!