Crafting a.k.a. What keeps me sane in LU

I've been teaching for 9 years now. I took my MA in UA&P right after completing my 4 year course. After my MA,  I went straight to work at my old practicum site. I stayed there for a year then transferred to Ateneo. 

I've never been out of work. Although, being a teacher does have its perks. No classes means no work for me. Hence, I get a month of summer, a week of sembreak and 2 weeks for Christmas break; not to mention days when classes were suspended due to inclement weather. I didn't get paid much but the no work days made up for that! 

Now that Im a housewife with no kids (YET!) I have a lot of free time on my hands. Too much free time actually. There are days when that drives me crazy! Gio has work. He works at home and goes to regular meetings. He isn't as busy as he used to be but he isn't as idle as I am. 

Good thing I have crafting! It started with my calligraphy kit. Yes, I do have a kit. I took a  class with Alexis Venture (a.k.a. inkscribbler https://instagram.com/inkscribbler/). I also took water-color lessons from a friend Therese Abesamis. For the first weeks in LU, calligraphy and water color kept the boat where my sanity was afloat. 

Lately, calligraphy and water color have taken a backseat to stamp making. I attended a Craft Party by Juice Hut Manila ( https://www.facebook.com/JuiceHut.Manila?fref=ts ) featuring Nica Cosio ( https://instagram.com/nicacosio/ ). You can check them out on IG. Since that party, Im hooked on stamp making! Here are some of the stamps that I made: 

Here's the process of stamp making: 

First you start of with the materials. For starters, it's best to work with rubber erasers. You can use any rubber eraser but I use the ones from Hey Kessy (https://www.facebook.com/heykessy?fref=ts ). They come in packs of four and are on sale for Php 85. Their about 7cm in length and 4cm in width.

The brown rectangles are rubber soles. You can buy them at Deovir (google: Deovir Philippines) They come in 9 x 12 blocks and cost Php 103.00. I don't recommend them for beginners as they are harder to carve into compared to the eraser. But they do last longer, so if you planning to make a 'keepsake' stamp then go for it! 

These are the carving tools, also from Hey Kessy. 

And of course, you'll need a stamp pad. The ones from National Bookstore (NBS) works well but there are more colorful options from Hey Kessy and if you're lucky Japan Home. 

I recently discovered this in NBS and they're proving to be a really good buy. They cost me Php 159 for 12 stamp pads. 

First step is pick a design. Im not very good at free hand drawing so I often print out designs. Ive mastered the art of scaling them down to the same size as the rubber erasers. 

These were my choices for the night. 

After picking a design, trace it on tracing papers. A pack of 10 sheets will cost you Php 31 at NBS. 

 After tracing, flip the paper over and center the design on the eraser. For the design to transfer, you have to trace the design or shade it in. 

Most of the time, I darken the lines of my traced image with my pencil. This is the time when I decide on which areas will be carved out. For this stamp, I decided to carve out all the white parts. 

 Always, carve away from your body/face. 

 Carve out the outline first. Then tackle the bigger areas with the bigger carving tool. 

If you're OC like me, I usually measure half a centimetre from the top of the eraser. I then proceed to drawing a line on all the sides of the eraser. This helps me carve out the outside areas of the design. It ensure for a clean finish image. 

The finished product! 

I also make a stamp with the rubber sole using the same steps. 

To be updated on my stamps, you can follow my Instagram account  @kim_h_pasion ( https://instagram.com/kim_h_pasion/ ) or you can also check my Pinterest page  at https://www.pinterest.com/KimmyPasion/kimmys-crafts/