After recently watching Children of Paradise (the last time I saw it was probably 20 years ago), I felt compelled to make some romantic Pierrot collage sheets. That film may be the most romantic ever made.

- First, a Sad Pierrot sheet, as Pierrot's longing for Columbine is, for me, the classic story of unrequited love.

- A Moon & Stars sheet, with a mixture of images from Children's books and vintage postcards (a few Pierrot images, too).

- And a Pierrot #3 sheet, drawn from the wonderous postcard collection at Polliwog & Dragonfly (links to the earlier Pierrot #1 and #2 sheets are listed, too).

New Clown Rubber Stamps

A few new stamps in the Commedia/clown theme:

- Circus Parts Sheet (Red Rubber). I've resized the popular clear set and had it made in red rubber (and added a few more images, like the striped legs and fan shown at right — there are many more images than the few shown).

- A Buckle My Shoe stamp. I've seen a couple versions of this rhyme (and didn't realize there were verses for numbers 11-20). Here's the (odd) end of the rhyme, from the vintage book that inspired this stamp:

Eleven, twelve, who will delve;
Thirteen, fourteen, maid's a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen, maids a-kissing;
Seventeen, eighteen, maids a-waiting;
Nineteen, twenty, my stomach's empty.

- Pulcinella, often called Punch or Punchinello in English, is a classical character that originated in the Commedia dell'arte of the 17th century. This and the following stamp are also on the Toby/Punch Stamp Sheet, but are now available individually and/or wood-mounted.

- And Punch with Tamborine, more of a British Victorian Punch (than the Italian Pulcinella stamp).

June Guest Design Team Member
Jane Strumpfel has created a vintage sewing-themed slide mailer and a beautiful etched copper ATC necklace, both of which were published in the June 2008 issue of Vamp Stamp News.

New Romantic Papers, Flowers Page

- "Angelique" Scrapbook Papers:
2 doubled-sided sheets of heavy 12" scrapbook paper. Rich maroon with pink, light lime green and turquoise.

- A whole new page of Flowers & Leaves:
Pretty, embossed mulberry paper and fabric leaves and flowers (paper Hydrangeas, Fabric Flowers, paper Ivy Leaves — at left — and Velvet Leaves).

More for the Beach/Memaid-Themed Swaps

- Sea Clear Stamp Set:
Tiny little "starter" set of clear stamp that comes with a little clear acrylic block. The seahorse is just under 1" tall.

- Ribbons:
  - 2 Colorful Shell Ribbons
  - Shell Fringe
  - Twill with Ric Rac

Punches and a Beautiful New Book

- 1/2" Square Punch:
It took some hunting but I found a punch to perfectly fit the 1/2" Square Mini Bracelet Links

- Mini Single-Loop Round Charms and Punch:
Copper- or silver-plated cast pewter. Could be tiny pendants or earrings, too. 1/2" inside diameter. Matching-sized paper punch.

- Ribbon Stitch Border Punch:
Punch a row of 6 perfectly aligned slots 1/8 apart. Repeat to create a border of any length.

- The Artful Storybook:
Beautiful eye candy! A gorgeous book about artists who have recreated and reinterpreted the picture book. An overview outlines a variety of structures and techniques, from simple collage to gluing. But above all, these highly visual pages offer ideas and inspiration, with lovingly designed story spreads and covers.

Thanks for reading another missive,
Leslie