STAMP BOLDLY with RubberMoon by Ceci Córdova Shrine Crazy! (part 1)

RubberMoon has new shrine stamps!  I was so thrilled when I saw them and I'm so glad I have them now, in my own hands, so I can play with them and show you what can be done with them.

"What would I do with a shrine stamp?" you might ask.  Well, that's why I'm here today:  to give you some ideas of things to do with your new shrine stamps and all the wonderful accessories Kae Pea made for them. 

Well, the first answer to the question: "What do I do with a shrine stamp?" is "Stamp with it, Silly!"

Here are two of the shrine images without embellishment....in their simple beauty: 

This is how they arrive: simple, plain, and effective.  Perfect to just stamp on a card or package or lunch bag.....You can write the recipient's name in the center open space or not, as you wish.  Just stamp it and you are done.  They are pretty cool just as they are.

But, wait!  There's MORE!

Do you think I'm going to buy a stamp that has only one use?  It hasn't happened yet!  There are so many ways to use these shrine and accessory stamps and I will show you some of them today:

I stamped this shrine and decorated it with other stamps from the shrine collection and some from the general catalog of RM stamps, also.  And then I colored it in....oh, that was fun!  I used color pencils: a combination of Crayola and Prismacolor.

A different shrine with a different personality and focus.  Again, I used stamps from the Shrine collection and from the general RM catalog: anything can go in a shrine and ANYTHING can be made to be a charm or milagro.   

Milagro means "miracle" in Spanish and in Mexico small charms of silver or base metals are sold and used to illustrate one's prayer.  As an example, a milagro in the image of a leg may be taken to the church and hung or nailed to a designated place as part of a petition for health or recovery from a leg injury.  Different body parts are available depending on which body part is in your prayer or petition.  The little charms hanging from the bottom of this shrine could be just decoration or could be to specify which body part we are praying for.

By putting a little darker color on one edge of each image, I gave the milagros and the hand a little more dimension.

As you can see, you can make these somber or exciting,

But....that's not all!

I like stamps with versatility.  I like doing fun stuff with them and finding new ways to use them. 

The following are in black and white but no less exciting for that.

The upside down shrine top makes a great banner.  It might take a few tries to line them up evenly but don't worry.  You'll get it right.  And it's way cool even if you don't have a smooth transition. 

Of course you can color these, also, if you desire.

Here are more variations using the shrines and shrine parts:

Honestly, I got a little carried away with this one.....it's way full and busy.....crazy exciting!  And I'm using a KP stamp which is not from the shrine collection but works well with the pieces.  Mix and match!

Below is a variation with the Mary stamp.  I like this.  It's much simpler and more peaceful than the previous altar, above.  I like the way the small altars give it the sense of dimension, almost like they are resting on a mantelpiece or shelf.

I built this next altar and then drew an arch over it.....no shrine stamp but many ways to make shrines using the decorations and accessories in the collection.

The truth is, when I first saw the parts, I couldn't wait to get my hands on these stamps so I could try the following ideas:

I was so excited to play with them, and it was so satisfying when I finally did!

I thought about people who don't know of a shrine tradition in their own heritage and tried to think of how we can make it more ecumenical.  Here's my first effort at multiculturalism in RM shrine stamps:

And....well......I am a doll maker.  I love making dolls of all kinds, and some are jointed.  This is what the milagros called for initially:

Yeah.  They're crazy but fun.  

I encourage you to get wild and mix them all up together, making shrines and non-shrines, serious and playful images, traditional and nontraditional, useful or not, using any or all of the stamps you have.  Enjoy them and the process of making them.

I would love to see what you come up with.

Please send photos of your work to Beauty(at)LittleBitsOfMagic(dot)com with the subject line: "Shrine Crazy!" and I will post them here for show and tell.

That's all for today, but I will be back to explore more dimensions of RubberMoon Shrines with Stamp Boldly in Shrine Crazy (part 2).  See you soon!

..........

Ceci Córdova is a midwife, mother, and artist, working with sacred art and plain old fun art.  You can work with her in her Seattle studio where she teaches art and pregnancy related classes.  In October, join her for classes in making Sugar Skulls in preparation for Day of the Dead.  Contact Ceci at Beauty(at)LittleBitsOfMagic(dot)com (subject line: "Sugar Skulls class") for more information, dates, and times.  Looking forward to seeing you!