Making A Mark: Mermaid Stamps

As I sifted through My Mermaid Collection this week deciding which item to feature next, my eyes rested on 2 particular items, and I was transported back in time to 1997...

It was a gorgeous August day, and my boyfriend and I were on a trip to Vancouver. He had lived there for several years when he was younger, and visited friends and family there often. I had only ever been there once with my family as a little girl, so I was pretty excited to explore this interesting city with a seasoned pro. That day he took me to Westminster Quay Public Market, a wonderfully eclectic mix of shops and services right on the water.

Inside the market, we found this awesome little shop that sold rubber stamps. Hundreds of designs, every shape, size and category, and ink and stamping paper as well. It was really cool, but the best part? I found 2 mermaid stamps!

I was so excited. Once I found these two, we completely scoured the store to make sure there weren't any other mermaid stamps that we'd missed. But we had found the only mermaid stamps in the entire store. Back at home, I went to a local arts and crafts supply store and purchased some ink to try out my stamps. Over the years I have purchased different colors of ink for different purposes. I also took a blade and very carefully modified the smaller stamp by shaving off the words "This Book Belongs To", so that I could use the stamp for scrapbooking and card making.

Stamping is tricky. When I began I used to make lots of mistakes, like not using enough ink and having blank spots, or using too much ink and smudging the imprint, or moving the stamp accidentally while pressing down and blurring the image. But practice makes perfect! The larger mermaid stamp imprints beautifully and is very intricate. I love the detailing on the tail, and the little fish are very cute as well.

The smaller mermaid stamp also imprints very nicely, and she is much more versatile with the removal of the words. I love the unique nature of these two stamps. When I was researching for this post I Googled "mermaid stamps" and even after searching through 2 pages worth of links, and over 20 pages worth of images, I didn't find these two particular mermaid stamps anywhere! Interestingly enough, the next time I went to Vancouver and visited the Westminster Quay Public Market, the stamp shop was no longer there. So I'm glad I unearthed these treasures while I could!

Do any of you have mermaid stamps? If you do, where did you find them? I'd love to hear your comments and/or stories.

See you next week! Until then, take care.
C