Stamp Series: Russia


Did you own one of these Babushka dolls when you were younger? I remember having a rather traditional-looking set and my sister having ones painted to look like frogs.

Better known as matryoshka dolls in Russia or nesting dolls, these are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed inside one another. The first doll was made in 1890 and presented in 1900 at the Exposition Universelle in Paris where the toy earned a bronze medal.

This is the first thing that comes in to my mind when thinking about Russia and although there are many remarkable landmarks that many would hold in higher regard, having my very own matryoshka doll as a child was my first taster of the country.

Have you visited Russia? If so, where did you stay and would you ever go back?

Stamp Series: Copenhagen


I spend quite a bit of my time looking for destinations to add to my push pin world map so when I stumbled across this blog post on Copenhagen and scrolled down to the 'Top Things to See and Do in Copenhagen', I knew that this would be the perfect place for a long weekend escape.

The image of the colourful buildings along the water's front has been an image that has always struck in my mind whenever I thought of Copenhagen so I knew that it would be a good choice for this week's stamp. I hope you enjoy it!

Stamp Series: Cappadocia


There's something so pleasing about seeing hot air balloons mid-flight and there are very few places on earth that combine this sight with an even more spectacular back-drop. Cappadocia in Turkey ticks all of the boxes.

Possibly one of the most famous destinations for tourists visiting Turkey, Cappadocia first appeared on my radar after Dan and I holidayed in Antalya. As one of the excursions organised by the travel company we had booked our holiday with, the place had me somewhat mesmerised. The "fairy"-like chimneys that are dotted around are all clusters of rock that were carved out by cave dwellers to make homes (and to this day, you can even stay inside them).

Unfortunately the excursion was a little bit out of our price range, but did include an overnight stay in the rock homes and with the opportunity to then be able to take a hot air balloon ride over the formations, I am a little disappointed that we couldn't see Cappadocia for ourselves. Until we are able to go back, I will have this little illustration to hand so I know what I'm missing.

If you want to see more in the #clrkllystampseries, head over to my portfolio or alternatively, follow me on Instagram to be one of the first to see any new additions to the series!

Stamp Series: Honolulu


Hawaii; a dreamer's paradise. Honolulu; the capital of a dreamer's paradise. Honolulu to me seems the perfect tropical destination to get the best of both worlds, between the beach and the city, especially great for those that can't sit still for more than a day!

It was inevitable though that even in this capital city, I wanted to focus on the typical image of the beach, palm trees and hula girl (complete with grass skirt). I was also quite excited to place a person in this stamp as previous stamps in the collection have focused more on the sights and landmarks.

I am pleased with how this one has turned out as I like the 'cartoon'-like feel of the overall piece.