An Art A Day 30-day Challenge: Stamped Memo Pads

OH. MY. GOD. It's been ages since I've put up anything here. I tried to make another art blog 'cause I made this blog supposedly to help out polymer clay-ers to find cheap replacements, but now I'm expanding to other arts. I tried to start another blog, but then I got lazy, then I got busy. I'm graduating college! Finally, finally, finally. So yeah, that got me busy, but now I wanna go back to what's really important--arts and crafts. And so, to kick start my life as a bum er, as a college graduate, I've decided to go on a thirty day art challenge. I've missed doing art so much.

Recently, I've been into rubber stamps--and by into, I mean driving myself bankrupt. I saw a sale online, got the stamps, and went absolutely crazy with it, and now I'm hooked. Unfortunately for me, my parents have cut off my allowance now that I'm supposed to be getting a job, so I can't afford to buy a new stamp set every three days. I've done a few with the new stamps I've bought:

I found that fountain pen--in mint condition! I remember it from my days of playing with my mother's office stuff--so I can attest that that pen is viiiiintage. <3

I really like these circus-themed note cards I made. I mean--it's the circus! It's one of my frustrations--I really, really, really, really, really badly want to run away and join the circus. I mean, I'm pretty flexible--but not yet that flexible. But I'm not losing hope that I'd be able to join it one day.

DOILIES. Lace or knite doilies--meeeeeh. I mean, they have their charm, but I've grown up with my grandmother's lace table runner doilies and I'm kinda turned off by them-- although I'm not saying I won't like them soon enough, never say never--anyway, paper and stamp doilies--FTW. I'm in love! It's just so beautifully intricate. 

Okay, bad photo, bad printing--I was just figuring out how to use them stamps here. But I kinda like the look of this--reminds me of the Phantom of the Opera. Hehehe.

Anyway, back to cheapness--what this blog is all about. I can't afford rubber stamps right now, so aside from begging my friends and relatives to pick me up some rubber stamps--any rubber stamps, I googled stuff up and came up with some tutorials on how to make your own rubber stamps by carving them out of erasers! Nifty, eh? Cheap--heck, I just scavenged around our house for some. A little cutting here and there, some inking, and I got these: Fiesta-themed memo pads!

I can't tell you how much I love the effects--kind of a water color-y children's book effect. These are the stuff I used:

-A kid's colorful inking stamp pad-- got it for like 42 pesos. I didn't like the stamps--cheesy animals, but the inking pad was too colorful to pass up on.

-A random pencil that still had a good eraser tip. Cut a triangle shape into it. Voila--my stamp.

-a colorful memo pad. It's about three inches thick and was only 33 pesos--with seven colors! Not exactly ROYGBIV, but I loved the turquoises, oranges and pinks.

Oh the things I could do with all these colors! And it's just the perfect size--I don't have to lug around huge folders to make sure the paper doesn't get folded too much.

I added a little piggy here--I love pigs, and it does suit the whole fiesta thing. Now it sort of reminds me of the Festival of Fools in The Hunchback of Notredame.

Anyway, that's it for the first day of the art challenge. Personally, I don't think I'll use this memo pad at work just yet--I mean, I wouldn't want anyone thinking of me as the crazy crafty lady at work. Perhaps when I cannot hide my weirdness from people any longer. Oh wait. That ship has long sailed already.

Total Cost: 75 pesos, or roughly two dollars. Not bad. :)