U.S. Postage Stamp Design Ideas

I've always thought it would be cool to quill a joker... you know, the playing card kind with the zany hat... the bright outfit... and the silly expression.

I did some googling for inspiration...

Here's the circus clown variety...
and a prancing drum major with a baton... or maybe it's a back scratcher?
This fellow is downright scary - he has to be the one that inspired the Batman creative team. I know the blue thing is a collar, but what I'm seeing instead is a big head, no neck, and a little crouching body down on all fours... er, fives, ready to spring.
oh my... Siamese twin jokers
A Viking clown? The antlers are a great touch.
Hey, remember this dapper guy? I always thought a raven and a bat had swooped down and landed on his head. He looks quite pleased about it too.Enough foolishness.... onto what prompted this post in the first place...

Lo and behold, look at the new love stamps just released by the U.S. post office - the King and Queen of Hearts! (They're what reminded me of my yen to quill a playing card joker.)And she's an equal opportunity kind of gal, presenting him with flowers. Go sistah! He looks wary, she looks tentative .... I could write a story... but let's get on to the contest and candy!

Can I interest you in trying a king and/or queen design in paper filigree? Let your imagination go wild... your interpretation doesn't have to look just like the stamps. Email me a JPEG by May 31 of what you come up with so that I can share it here. Find my addy on my profile page; just put Blog Candy Entry in the subject line. I'll let you know I've received it. A judging panel of me, myself, and I will pick a favorite on June 1... or if we simply can't decide, then we'll go with an even-steven drawing. There are some very nice treats in it for the winner - a brand new copy of the latest issue of CardMaker magazine and some great paper supplies.

To show you an example of using a stamp as inspiration, here's something I made as a design team project a few years ago when I saw the 2006 wedding stamp... I knew at first glance that the design was potentially quillable, so I gave it a shot. Not my best work ever, but I had a great time replicating the free-flowing design with metallic bronze and gold quilling strips on edge. The background paper is pretty busy, but I remember thinking its design reminded me of bird feet.
The 2009 wedding cake stamp is another one that would work well as a quilled design... look at all the scrolls! But for right now, just focus on quilling the King and/or Queen - I can't wait to see what lands in my inbox!