artistamps
Apr 27th, 2008 by indigo-daisy
I love working the right side of my brain but get frustrated when doing arts and crafts as I just don’t have the space. By the time I get my project all spread out over the table, it is time to pack it all up again.
So I started doing these little artistamps on my computer. I can play with it for a while, then set my laptop down, walk away and come back to it when I am ready. No mess, no stress, no cleanup.
I use Adobe Photoshop, but my son is really into open source software and told me about this program called GIMP which is free. I experimented with it a bit and found it to be an awesome program. If you like to dabble in computer generated art and don’t want to pay the big ticket price for Adobe, try GIMP.
Currently I am working on dedicating a stamp for each article in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights . There are thirty articles in all and I am only on number seven. This has proven to be a more difficult task than I first imagined. So in between, I started making stamps for other things like blogs I like to visit.
My first blog stamp went to Mountaingirl’s Musings where the author officially
changed her name all the way back to her birth certificate. I was just so impressed by this, I guess because I see people all the time who will complain their whole life about things but never take any steps to alleviate their situation. Mountaingirl was unhappy with her name, and just decided to change it, even on her birth certificate. I think that is pretty cool and I started looking at things in my own life that I may be complaining about to see if there is something I can do to change it.
My next stamp went to Welshcakes Limoncello , author of Sicily Scene . She is a 
sort of retired language teacher from England who has relocated to Sicily. A woman of my own heart as I love all things Italian. Welshcakes has a fun to follow blog and I enjoy reading the day to day ramblings of living in Sicily, where the most stressful part of day seems to be waiting in line at the post office.
All my stamps are posted in my Gallery and if you click on "detail" each stamp has as personal description attached. Look back for more as I travel a lot of blogs.
Thank you so much, indigo daisy. That is absolutely wonderful and has made my night! Thank you for your kind words, too. xx
You are most welcome Welshcakes! I so enjoy reading about the happenings in Sicily and the occasional serenade by Patrizio Buanne. My regards to Simi ~Deborah
I changed my name 1/2 way through last year. My birth first and last name rhymed (some weird joke on my fathers part) but one day i realised I was an adult and could be who I wanted. You just apply to births deaths and marriage registry, give a reason, pay the money and in two weeks your issued a new birth certificate. The hardest part was choosing a name, it took me about 2 months… Abbey means ‘fathers daughter’ …It did cause a little confusion on my blog… as I told no one…just got on with it…It sounds odd but with the change, I feel more me…
That is so cool Abbey. I must say I was a bit confused on your blog and for a while thought maybe there were two of you doing the posts.
It is amazing how such a little change can improve ones outlook on life and make one feel they have more control over who they are.
I have been looking for little things in my own life that I may have just accepted but am not really happy with. I have made big changes, like religion, job and location, however I am looking at some smaller things that I may have just accepted as my lot in life that I may not really be happy with, like its ok to get rid of the old coffee mug I use every day for tea and replace it with something more feminine and teaish. My new mug has soft curves, is beautiful and has its own lid and strainer. Such a small change, but somehow brightens my day.
I’m very much, this year, along with a blogger Missus Tex, focussing on the small things in our day, our home, within ourselves, family etc and making note of what gives us an Inner Glow. From taking lunch alone in the park and actually enjoying the outside, the sandwich. To apprciating small things of beauty such as your cup…too often in life we wait, for happiness love etc, instead of focussing on the here and now and appreciating what we have. It is really made a difference to how I approach life, keeping balance, being grounded…I find small petty things, within my job or life don’t seem to worry me as much. I don’t know why but its working…:)