a HUGE thank you to Craft Stamper

YIPPEE...I knew this was coming & it arrived in the mail on Friday...

all the way from the UK!

I am the featured artist for Craft Stamper, for the June 2009 issue...

Here's the cover...



It's a 2 page spread!

Here's me...



Next page...




And here's the interview...

INTRODUCTION: The month we chatted to American stamper Wendy Vecchi, the talented designer behind the gorgeous Studio 490 collection for Stampers Anonymous and also a member of the Maya Road and Tim Holtz Idea-ology Design Teams.

INTERVIEW
What is your name and where are you from?
I'm Wendy Vecchi and I live in Oglesby, Illinois. I've been married to my high school sweetheart for almost 37 years. We live in the country with our horses & cats, on a farm that we call Green Acres.

How did you become interested in stamping?
I attended a craft show with a friend and saw a demo using embossing powder. As soon as I saw the image raise, I knew I was hooked. I remember telling my hubby that this new hobby would save us lots of money, since we wouldn't need to buy greeting cards. That didn't turn out to be exactly true! But...I honestly believed it at the time!

What is it you most love about your hobby?
My studio is my most favourite place in all the world. I love stamping because the possibilities are endless and I'm always excited to see where each piece leads me. I find that each stamped piece seems to take on its own personality and I'm never quite sure how it will look in the end. I love the process of creating just as much as I love the end result and I enjoy moving art parts around until they look just right. If my fingers are inky, then I've had a great day!

What other arts or crafts do you enjoy?
I love the art of shopping - for art parts. It's such a thrill to find something in an antique mall or flea market that fits my style. These shopping excursions are also very inspiring. I like thinking about where an item came from & about what it could be.

Tell us about your stamping accomplishments
In addition to designing my stamps, I'm very proud of these accomplishments:
Maya Road design team;
Exclusive Ranger Demo artist; Ranger certified educator;
Tim Holtz Idea-ology design team. I was invited by Tim to be the guest instructor for Artful Voyage in Mexico, this October, making art and cruising with Tim! Guaranteed to be fun and an artful adventure.

Here' are the captions for each photo...
ART SHOWCASE
(((ITEM 1)))PHOTO 4917
This is one of my most favorite creations and I actually used no paper for this project. The base is a Grungeboard book and all the embellishments were custom made by stamping on Grungeboard and Grungepaper.

(((ITEM ONE INSET PIC)))PHOTO 4920
Here’s a close up of the Studio 490 grunge flower. I love the dimension. My favourite technique these days is to stamp (Studio 490 stamps of course!) flowers onto Grungeboard and Grungepaper and to design flowers. I guess my style is vintage, but with a feminine look. I strive to make things look old, worn and well loved, which explains the muted colour palette I prefer.

(((ITEM 2)))PHOTO 4923

This is a book that I created for the Maya Road booth at CHA. It’s entitled ‘A Few of my Favorite Things’.

(((ITEM 2 INSET PIC)))PHOTO 4926
At the top of my favorite things list is my studio - Studio 490. I'm actually living a fairy tale and many days I pinch myself to make sure this is all really happening!

Here's the story of Studio 490...In September of 2007, I drove two hours to a stamp store, because they were having a Stamper's Anonymous truck sale. Ted & Michelle Cutts, who own Stampers Anonymous, actually drove the semi across the country and it was full of stamps! Michelle noticed my art, she showed Ted and we visited for three hours. Next, I was accepted into Ranger U, and met Tim Holtz. We became friends; I made samples for the Stampers Anonymous booth for CHA2008 using his stamps. On the last day of CHA, Ted & Michelle asked if I would like to design stamps. I actually almost fainted and initially said no. I really didn't think that I had the ability. We talked a bit & I said that I'd give it a try. Studio 490 stamps made their debut just a few months later. I was thrilled that they were so well received. Set three is in the works for release in Orlando this July. So right now, there are 14 sets, with more coming soon. Now, the moral of this story is dreams really do come true. I'm living proof. And the best part is to be working with such wonderful friends.
See? I told you it was a fairy tale!

(((ITEM 3)))PHOTO 4932 Another photo caption...
This is a favorite spread. Again, this spread uses only inks and stamps on chipboard and Grungepaper - I really love to combine these two products to make my art multilayered and dimensional. I like the designs and the sturdiness of chipboard for stamping and I like the grunge because it can be molded into shapes. It's the perfect combo. I love the colours in this piece and the saying is a favourite.

(((ITEM 4)))
Bird PHOTOS...the birds!
I was lucky enough to be invited to Tim's Holiday Hideaway last December. I loved the project, where we altered a bird, and embellished it with vintage metal findings. This bird was inspired by that project, but I changed it, to include stamped Grungepaper wings, tail and a funky bonnet. The mini glasses were the finishing touch.

This is another altered bird, also inspired by Tim's Holiday Hideaway.

Find out more:Wendy has been published in the following publications: Studios Fall/Winter 2008 published by Cloth Paper Scissors; Altered Books 102; Coming soon...Paper Creations; Altered Art's Magazine

To see Wendy’s Studio 490 stamp designs and examples of artwork created with her stamps, visit www.stampersanonymous.com. Studio 490 stamps are available in the UK from The Stamp Attic.

To see her artwork for the Maya Road design team, visit mayaroad.typepad.com/dt/

Check out Wendy’s personal blog at www.studio490art.blogspot.com for more of her inspirational artwork.

THANK YOU KATY FOX...It looks great & it was a pleasure working with you.

I'm off to get a subscription...this publication is LOADED with wonderful art & inspiration...

EDITED...Here's the Craft Stamper scoop...
It's $9.99 per issue @ Barnes & Noble...
but...
a 12 month subscription is $86.
I called 1-217-355-2970...if you're interested.

Lots of ideas to help...

make art!
wendy
ps...come back tomorrow for a SHOPPING report...
We visited the ...
"old house society"...OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that's all I'm saying...OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!