New Stamp Sets!!

We are filled with excitment here at the studio - the proofs of our three new sets have been reviewed and we are ready to issue them for sale. We're getting into the holiday spirit - with two holiday sets and one floral set - and having so much fun playing with them. Please visit the store and take a look at the stamp sets and card making combo kits. Also, we've uploaded some new artwork in the gallery for your inspiration.

One of the sets, Peace, has an image created exclusively for us by calligrapher Joan Machinchick. This Peace Dove has a classic and elegant look that can be used year after year. Joan has also created some wonderful holiday words for us which we will be including in more holiday stamp sets next month. We are so impressed with the beauty of Joan's work and want to share a bit about her with you.

Joan Machinchck was introduced to calligraphy while a graphic design student at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland and continues to study in workshops and at annual conferences.

Her primary interest is in the creation of artist's books, both one-of-a-kind and in limited edition. Her books frequently combine painting, printmaking, collage, illustration and calligraphy with digital printing and photography. Her artist's books, invitations, articles and book reviews have been published in Somerset Studio, Scripsit, Letter Arts Review magazines and the Journal of PaperWorks - the Sonoran Book Arts Collective, as well as several books, including "Hand Lettering for Crafts" by Sandra Salamony (Rockport) and "The Art and Craft of Handmade Cards" and "Paper in Three Dimensions" both by Diane Maurer-Mathison (Watson-Guptill). A now semi-retired graphic designer and illustrator and owner of Lake Claire Design Studio, she enjoyed working with a wide variety of clients, ranging from publishers, entertainment professionals, gourmet companies and health care facilities to a NASA/Johns Hopkins research satellite project. She provided monthly watercolor maps for Chesapeake Bay Magazine and has custom designed wedding and event stationery. Included in her book design and illustration projects are an award-winning book about the history and lore of the Magothy River, "My River Speaks" by Marianne Taylor (Bay Media, Inc.) and "Learning to Sail" by Di Goodman and Ian Brodie (International Marine, a division of McGraw Hill). Her books and calligraphy have recently been exhibited in small group and juried shows in the Maryland/Washington DC area, including Adkins Arboretum, the Washington National Cathedral, Anne Arundel Community College, the Library at St. John's College, Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church, The City Gallery in Baltimore, the Washington Calligraphers' Guild 30th anniversary exhibitions in Harrisonburg VA and at Strathmore Hall and in a collaborative artists' books show at Details Art & Design in Tucson, AZ. This year she exhibited her artist's books in a solo show at Circle Gallery in Annapolis, MD and her digital images and calligraphy at The Gallery at Woods in Severna Park, MD. She is a member of The Washington Calligraphers Guild; the Association for the Calligraphic Arts; Maryland Federation of Art; and PaperWorks - The Sonoran Book Arts Collective.