Sweet and Simple

I've been trying to think of a small image that I can stamp on my soon-to-be-printed business cards to give them the same unique, handmade flare as my cards. The image needs to be about the size of a quarter (maybe a bit bigger) and should feature enough detail to match the kind of prints that customers can expect when they order one of my cards. Unfortunately, settling on an image has been a lot harder than I thought. Most of my stamps to date won't work because they're too big and I'm also trying to be careful to avoid images that might misrepresent the main focus of my card designs (i.e. I think a little flower stamp would make Sonnet & Mayhem seem too 'traditional invitation' oriented).

I worked on this problem for a while last night before giving up and carving a regular sized shell stamp. I haven't tested it yet, but I'm hoping that the thin lines of the carving produce a similar print to the french horn. I'll be sure to post my practice prints tonight.

As lovely as the shell stamp might be though, it isn't getting me any closer to solving my business card image dilemma. Should i go for abstract? Simple silhouette? A variety of different, yet related designs? So far, I've entertained the following possibilities: four-leaf clover, shooting star (I know, terrible, right?), person doing a jumping jack, finger print, brass bell...

Maybe I'll go with a bird image. A wren or blue heron. A sparrow even. Birds are suitably identifiable, yet have the potential to be odd and beautiful in silhouette form. I guess I'll have to keep experimenting tonight and see what I come up with.

Of course, suggestions are also welcome!