Hi there,

Thanks for popping in. This afternoon on Clarity Social TV, Paul and I will be introducing a brand new collection of Wee Stamps. Three A5 stamp sets of little characters. We are calling these our Wee Family & Friends – Life & Love, Dream & Wonder, Childhood Days.

We also made a set of ALL the characters in miniature. These are absolutely brilliant – not only for Mini Makes, but also for creating depth and perspective. See here? I will demo this one.

I’ve spent the last couple of days playing with them, and I have to say, they really got me thinking. As I started building little scenes with these characters, I found myself filling in the gaps. One little figure reminded me of Grace and Mark when they were children. Another took me straight back to my brother and me playing near the Grand Union Canal when we were nippers, and lived in Aylesbury. Alex and Mark on their wedding day, when he lifted her into the air. Yet another made me think of my handsome Dad, with his long legs and easy, unhurried stroll.

Funny how the mind works. If the characters didn’t remind me of somebody from my own life, I caught myself imagining their stories instead. Once that idea clicked into place, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the process. It was a bit like people-watching in a café, which is something I’ve always loved doing when I’m passing the time or waiting for somebody to arrive.

Picture the scene… you are sitting in a coffee shop, waiting for a friend to join you. You spot a young chap sitting in the corner with a laptop open.

Who is he?

Where does he live?

What’s he working on?

Is he writing a novel? Starting a business? Planning an adventure?

In the space of a minute, you’ve given him an entirely different identity and life story. Then your friend arrives, and, before you know it, you’ve forgotten all about the young chap in the corner and the life story you just invented for him.

These new Wee Stamps triggered exactly the same part of my imagination. The storyteller in me woke up.

I used lots of different pre-printed Clarity backgrounds, because I quickly realised that the characters were doing all the heavy lifting. The trees, pathways and backgrounds set the stage, but it was the people who brought the artwork to life. There’s a new set of Waterside Landscape Toppers and tags on the show. They work really well.

Perhaps that’s because we’re naturally drawn to stories. We look at a scene and instinctively start asking questions. Who are they? Where are they going? What are they thinking? What’s just happened? What happens next?

As children, we did it all the time, didn’t we? We made up stories, imagined adventures and created entire worlds from very little. Maybe we never really stop.

I know I haven’t.

Looking through the samples I’ve made, I can see little moments everywhere. Snapshots into the past. The sort of moments that pass so quickly they’re there and gone in a nano second. But somehow the brain stores those pictures which passed far too quickly to take an actual photo, and then they are brought back to life by association with a little story telling stamp.

That’s what I enjoy most about these Wee characters. They unlock memories. One person will see a fisherman. Another will see their Dad. One person will see two children playing. Another will remember their own childhood. The images are simple, but they leave just enough space for us to bring our own stories to them.

The team certainly enjoyed using these stamps too. Wait till you see their artwork! Here are a few, using the new and improved Stamp Stamps which are being showcased on the same show. We have refined the line art and added more sizes to the set.

Great little framers, these Stamp Stamps. I came up with the concept of Stamp Stamps in the 90’s . Talking of memories! I remember launching them at a stamp show in Newbury at the Corn Exchange. Julie Hickey, who was – and still is – a force of nature in the stamping world at the time, was visiting the show. When she saw the concept, she was so excited she got me excited! Funny how that has stuck with me…

This afternoon, Paul and I will be sharing the full collection on Clarity Social TV, along with plenty of ideas and inspiration.

I do hope you’ll join us.

Until then,

Love and Clarity,

Barb x x x