RNEST Winter Fest

First of all, RNEST stands for Rochester NY Etsy Street Team. I am a member of this group of artisans in the Rochester area who all sell on Etsy.com

We are having our first joint craft show on Sunday, December 13th at the RIT Inn and Conference Center.

We really hope you can join us, because we are going to have lots of variety at our show: jewelry, quilted items, pillows, stamps, felted animals, and LOTS of gifts for the Holiday.

See what my teammate Carol wrote about buying local at our show.

Hope you can join us!

Mother of All Giveaways

I'm part of the Rochester NY Etsy Street Team.

We are doing a giveaway each week on our blog, and this week, I'm up!

So head over to the RNEST Blog and see what I'm giving away for FREE!

It's ALIVE!

How fitting. No, not because it is the Halloween season, but because Dr. Frankenstein's monster was his creation...his first attempt at life. And this is my first attempt as selling an ACEO!

So let me back up. An ACEO is an Artist Card: Original or Edition. Perhaps you have heard of an ATC (Artist Trading Card) or a LTC (Letterbox Trading Card). These are miniature works of art that are 2.5 inches wide, by 3.5 inches high, the dimensions of a poker card, or a baseball card.

Artist love to make these little gems, and I got into making them through my letterboxing addiction. We call them LTC's there, and the point is to use a hand carved stamp to create the card.

So, my Frankenstein card is technically also an LTC, in the fact that I made it from two hand carved stamps, but I'm going to sell these, so they aren't really "trading" cards anymore. So many definitions!

I created this for a couple reasons though. I am part of a team on etsy called the Mad Scientists of Etsy. They have monthly challenges, and for October was to make something about an upcoming holiday, and put a science twist on it. I can't think of a better mad scientist than good old Doc Frankenstein, so I carved a stamp of our favorite creepy monster. I liked the stamp too much to part with it, so I decided to sell a limited edition of it's print, in the form of ACEOs.

The great part about these, besides being small and collectible, is that they are cheap for Art! I called this one "Mad Science: Frank" because I might do other ACEOs based on the Mad Science theme, so keep checking back.

Keep you eyes out on my etsy shop for more, I have another already done and ready to post called "Danse Macabre"!

Bring on the Birds

Fall migration is fully underway for most birds in our area now and Jackbear Stamps has lots of rubber bird stamps to go around! Not that the birds here are big migrants in my area...but since I don't get to see them in Rochester, NY, I get to see them in my etsy shop!

Puffin Stamp

Tern Stamp

Loon Stamp

RNEST Profile: Buenahelena

Check out the great profile of my friend Buenahelena's Etsy shop!

She sells vintage and reused items, like these He-Man coasters she made!

RAD!

Red Tail Days

My first outdoor show! My crafty friend and owl lover Casey of Peach Products invited me and my father-in-law Dick, of Three Oak Enhancements to a craft show at Red Tail Days at Braddock's Bay this year. The event held during Red Tail Hawk migration is a great way to learn about these amazing raptors.
I got to use the new canopy tent I purchased, and the new rustic display that my friend Brian helped me make. I thought they worked and looked wonderful, and I could hang all my best stamps from them! Dick got to display all his amazing wildlife photography around the outside. We really had a great time talking to all the nature lovers.
I was able to get some carving done during the slow times. I have lots of birds carved now too, so be sure to check out my shop at Etsy to see some of the cool bird stamps I carved.
Oh yeah, I got to meet the Incredible Hawk too! HA!

RNEST Profile: The Quilted House

Over the next several weeks I want to profile a few of the members of the Rochester NY Etsy Street Team. As a member of this team, I have to say that the quality of craftspeople in this group is pretty impressive. These creative people are worth seeking out on their etsy shops, blogs, craft shows, facebook, twitter, and where ever else you can find them!

Today I want to feature The Quilted House, owned and sewn by Michelle.

Now when I think of quilts, I immediately think of some big old garish patterned blanket on grandma's bed. Well....not at the Quilted House! The patterns are hi and the colors are bright. Take a look.

Greeting cards made of quilt blocks.

A tic-toe-boards. ------------------------>

<--------------Bags.

Bookmarks. ---------------------->

I guess you could say this is not your grandma's quilting shop!

To learn more about Michelle check her blog called While the Cat's Away.

Way to go Michelle! We love your work!

Next Show: Braddock's Bay Red-Tail Days

Jackbear Stamps will be among a select group of artisans set up at Braddock's Bay Red-Tail Days on August 22nd.

I'll have lots of bird and nature stamps on hand for purchase. Dick Beery of 3 Oaks Enhancements and his amazing nature photography will be joining my tent.

There will be lots of activities for kids, a silent auction of prizes donated by the craft vendors will be held to benefit BBRR, and lots of chances to see live birds in migration, and rehabilitated birds on hand.

If you are not familiar with Braddock Bay:

Braddock Bay is a migration "hot spot", located on Lake Ontario just west of Rochester, New York. Millions of birds migrate through the area every spring as they head north to their breeding grounds. The hawk counts conducted at Braddock Bay number in the thousands with the highest recorded count of 140,000 raptors in 1996.

Braddock Bay Raptor Research (BBRR) has been in existence since 1986 working towards preserving the areas natural resources by focusing research and educational activities on the spectacular raptor migration.

Hope to see you there!

Meme 4 U!

I think one of the funniest things about the 2000's is the "text" abbreviations. I mean we all say them now...LOL, OMG, etc. Some of the stuff that has come off the internet as viral messages and memes has been funny stuff. I wonder if this is going to be one of those pop things that defines the decade.

Anyway, in our high tech society I think it is funny to take the "text" off our computer screens, and put it back on good old paper. So I took a few of those "text" and "meme" phrases and put them into rubber. These stamps are available on my Etsy Shop.

Don't know one of these?
Here are the links:
O RLY? : http://www.hjo3.net/orly/
FML : http://www.fmylife.com/
FAIL Blog: http://failblog.org/

Ornithology is for the Birds!

The monthly challenge for the Mad Scientists of Etsy for the month of May was Ornithology. I was super excited for this theme because anyone who knows me knows that I am a birder. That is like a bird watcher on crystal meth. Birders like to count birds. Birders like to compete in birding competitions. Birders like to go to birding festivals. Birders like to post their sightings online. I am one of these crazy people.

So I was excited to participate in this challenge and join two of my hobbies, hand carving rubber stamps, and birding. So I should confess, it wasn't a "challenge" because I had a good backlog of bird stamps I had carved for the Shreve Migration Sensation this past March, so I have a good number of bird stamps done, and some more I will be posting to my etsy shop in the coming weeks. It's not cheating, it's more like being prepared ahead of time. Right?

Anyway, ornithology is not just for scientists anymore. There is lots of "citizen science" going on, like Project Feederwatch, and The Christmas Bird Count. Many familiar birds are now in decline, and organizations like the Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are leading the way in helping to preserve our important birding areas.

So celebrate the birds with me and the Mad Scientists with some great items from amazing artisans.

T-Rex: Not so bad.

This is my newest stamp set for the Mad Scientist of Etsy monthly challenge themed "Cretaceous Period."

Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the last king of the monsters. According to Wikipedia, "Fossils of T. rex are found in a variety of rock formations dating to the last three million years of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 68 to 65 million years ago; it was among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist prior to the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event." The KT extinction wiped out 70% of life on Earth. Not like Mr. T-Rex had a chance.

This two stamp set is available for sale at my Etsy shop.

If you are not familiar with the "Fail Blog," this might not make sense to you right away, but I after reading some of the hilarious post there, you will see how the "fail" meme has taken off.

Stamps at Shreve Migration Sensation

Dick (my friend and father-in-law) and I had a blast at Shreve Migration Sensation. It was a great day for birding, so traffic by the table at the Birders Marketplace in the afternoon was a bit slow, but we really enjoyed talking to all the birders, and kids, and other vendors. You can see that we shared a booth area, me in the front with stamps, and Dick in the back with his photo's from Three Oaks Enhancements.

With the help of my wife Laura, we made some really cool bird journals! These are the kind that you can keep track of your sightings for the day. I made the data sheets so you could record data you might need to enter into eBird. Laura decorated the covers, don't they look great! Some of you might recognize old National Wildlife Federation stamps on them.

Dick got lots of great compliments from his photography. He entered several photos in the contest, and won many prizes. I can't remember them all now, but he really did well! I was so proud. He really pulled together a great collection of photos.

I worked hard to do lots of bird stamps, some that are left I will be adding soon to my etsy shop, so if you are looking for a particular bird stamp, let me know, I may have one carved, or if I don't I can do one for you. I really enjoy combining these two hobbies of birding and stamp carving.

First and Last: Arts and Crafts

I'm super pumped to be selling Jackbear Stamps on Saturday, April 4th, from 5-10 pm at SPoT Coffee on 200 East Ave. in Rochester, NY at the First and Last: Arts and Crafts show.

This artisans show is held Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 5-10 pm at SPoT, on the first and last weekends of the month. It is free and open to the public. You can grab a cup of joe, or have a sandwich, and then drop over and check out the craft/art vendors.

I dropped by it last night just to get the lay of the land and the folks set up were super friendly and had some amazing work! Jewelry, art prints, bottle cap magnets, felted animals. It was really cool. This coming weekend, April 3-5, Becky (the "First and Last" organizer) will also be raffling off a basket full of donated works from the crafters! It is going to be really cool, so don't forget to buy a raffle ticket for this treat (great Easter gift!)

For the Birds...

I'm very excited to announce that I will be selling stamps at Migration Sensation in Shreve, Ohio on March 28th, 2009. I will be sharing a booth with my very talented friend and father-in-law Dick Beery. Dick is a budding bird photographer, but has been taking candid portraits of people at events for a long time. It has been a great pleasure to go on birding adventures with Dick, and I'm so excited he is getting great bird photographs of some of the birds we have seen, as well as many other great nature shots.

I hope to have many bird stamps ready for the show, as well as some hand crafted birding journals for sale next to Dicks amazing photographs. I can't wait!

It's Greek to Me!

For the vendor at the University of Rochester last Christmas I made a bunch of sorority stamps of the greek letters. I still have some left, and I have posted them in my Etsy shop. These are easy to carve, and I can carve any sorority or fraternity's letters, in any size as a custom item as well.

I think these look great on a letter, envelope, card, t-shirt, or any other craft item you can stamp on! The sky is really the limit on uses.

Each stamp is individual, and comes in a set. I made each greek letter separate so the stamper can decide if they want a horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or random pattern when stamping.

Dandelion

Just a quick note, I was selected to be an etsy treasury. Check it out!
This will only be active a few days! That's my Dandelion stamp in the first box!

Mycology

Mycology is the study of fungi. Fungi aren't plants, and aren't really animals. They serve a key role in decomposition. Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus. Yeasts and slime molds are also fungi.

The Mad Scientists of Etsy monthly challenge was themed "mycology." For my entry I carved three stamps of mushrooms, which are available for purchase at my Etsy shop. I wanted three mushrooms that were different in shape. The button mushroom, which I love to eat, a morel, which I love to hunt, and I'm not entirely sure what the thrid one is, but I liked the shape! Ha!

Working through the Winter

Wow, we started winter earlier than normal this year in western New York, and it is not letting up! Here we are in February, and I am already tired of it. The good news is I was able to get to Florida for a few days and enjoy some great weather. Also, I have been getting a constant diet of custom carvings to work on, so these long dark days of winter have been fruitful at least!

I would like to get the shop filled back up with some original designs, its starting to look a little picked through. I plan on some more nature themed stamps. I've got a nice dandelion stamp to list that I've completed, along with a portrait of John Muir. I'll be getting these listed in the Etsy shop shortly.

Stay warm everyone!

The Art of Flickr

I have been posting most of the stamps I have been carving on my Flickr photostream. I have a great little slide show on the main page of this blog, but it only goes through the first page of my photostream, there is lots more on my Flickr site.

Business has been good! I can't imagine how busy I would be in a better economy. The holiday rush is over, and it was a rush. I expected a big slow down, but I am still getting plenty of orders for bookplates, logos, portraits, and more. I am still on schedule, and the production line (me) is running fine.

I will be getting some new stamps up on my Etsy shop soon, probably when the custom orders slow down a little and get more time to devote to specialty stamps.