Prairie Paper & Ink

Making Your Own Stamp Cleaner VIDEO

I tried to post this on here last night but YouTube was acting all wonky. It's working fine now tho so here it is:

How I Clean My Stamps VIDEO

Now that I'm finally starting to feel better (I still can't believe I've been sick for over a week!) I can FINALLY start to get things done - one of which was to upload a couple more videos to YouTube that I've been meaning to do for a while now.

A question I've been asked a lot is "how do you clean your stamps?" - so rather than type up a lengthy post I did a video of it.

Enjoy!

Masking Revisited

I've been getting some more questions on how I mask my images. I just use regular Post-it® notes - and here is a post I did quite a while ago on the subject (w/ a bunch of pics!!):

Masking

I hope this post answers all the questions everyone has had. Happy Monday Everyone!!! :o)

Crop-a-Dile Video

I came across this cool video on how to use the Crop-a-dile - it's pretty long but they show a bunch of things that you can do w/ this tool and I HAD to share as it's so much easier to watch a video rather than me doing a picture tutorial!! So for those of you who don't have one or DID get one and have NO idea how to use it - check this out!!:

Crop-a-dile video from Nth Degree

Using Unmounted Rubber Stamps

FYI - this is a REALLY long post!!!

I get a lot of questions about using unmounted rubber stamps - as in what exactly does it mean - unmounted?, how do you use them?, do they have foam backing?, what is cling foam? etc etc etc. I'm hoping that the following "tutorial" of sorts w/ the pictures will help answer any/all questions!! I know a visual always helps!!

When a stamp manufacturer says that the stamp is unmounted it means that it is NOT attached to a wood block and comes one of 3 ways: 1 - it's JUST the rubber stamp, nothing else. 2 - it's the rubber stamp w/ sticky foam (meaning that when you get the stamp you would peel off the paper backing and stick it permanently to a wood block of your own). 3 - it's the rubber stamp w/ CLING mount foam - meaning that when you got the stamp you would use it w/ acrylic blocks.

One big reason that stamp manufacturers offer unmounted stamps is cost. It's a lot cheaper to buy stamps unmounted, and a LOT cheaper to ship them.

Now don't get me wrong - I LOVE my woodmounted stamps - and I highly doubt I'll ever give that up. I just prefer the feel of the wood as opposed to a cold acrylic block. Plus I enjoy the convenience of just grabbing the stamp I want and using it ASAP w/out having to worry about getting a block too, mounting it, using it, cleaning it, then unmounting it and putting it and the block away.

BUT I have quite the collection of unmounted stamps - I like that I can get a LOT more images for my $ - and also the fact that for ME - living up here in Canada it can be a lot more expensive having things shipped here - so I like being able to buy unmounted stamps and paying less $$ all around on the rubber and the shipping! Not to mention that some of the companies I love the images of (Mandarin Pixie, Stamping Bella, TAC, MissyB Desings) sell ONLY unmounted rubber stamps.

OK enough of me jabbering!!

The way I prefer to use my unmounted stamps is w/ CLING mount foam and an acrylic block. Some companies (TAC, etc) include the foam w/ their stamps, the rest (MissyB Designs, Mandarin Pixie etc) you need to buy the foam separately in 8 1/2 x 11 sheets, and still others (Stamping Bella, etc) use another method (which I will explain at the end).

The makers of the Cling mount foam I use is Sunday International - so if the stamps you are buying DON'T have foam and you want some you can Google that - I'm sure you'll come up w/ a TON of online resources.

FYI - all the stamps shown in these pictures are from Mandarin Pixie - I got a bunch of them for Christmas from Tim! They come on a sheet and you have to cut them apart w/ Craft and Rubber Scissors (MissyB Designs and TACs also come like this).

When you peel off the covering to the sticky side of the foam, take care not to get it stuck to anything as it is REALLY sticky.

When placing the rubber stamps on the foam - make SURE that the foam will completely surround the image - for this one the edges were hanging over the edge of the foam - but it doesn't matter as I'll be cutting all that off anyway.

I cut apart some of the other stamps to be able to fit them on the remaining foam - it's like a jigsaw puzzle of sorts - trying to make the most of the foam!!

I did the same thing for this piece of foam that was left over from before.

Before cutting all the stamps apart - sprinkle baby powder on all the exposed bits of sticky foam. This part is a MUST unless you want to be COVERED in sticky gunk (yup - first time I did this I didn't use the baby powder - I used up about half a bottle of rubbing alcohol trying to remove the gunk from my scissors, my hands and even the stamps themselves were all sticky - it was a total disaster).

Tap off the excess baby powder and cut apart all the stamps w/ your Craft and Rubber Scissors.

I use straight cuts - and make sure not to under cut the foam .

The stamps now cling to the acrylic blocks (like static cling).

And you can see through the block to the stamp itself (some ppl actually stamp the image in Stazon onto the cling side of the foam before adhering the stamps to the sticky side and cutting them out - then you would have the actual image to guide you. I've never bothered w/ this extra step tho it is a neat idea!)

So now you can use the stamps just like you would a woodmounted stamp. You just press the stamp to the acrylic block that fits best (it's nice to have several of different sizes on hand - you only need ONE of each size), ink it up and stamp!! Then you can clean it in your scrubber (still on the acrylic block - *most* of the time they stay on!!), peel it off and put it away.

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Now there are other ways to use unmounted stamps other than cling foam. Some ppl use an "adhesive" like Aileen's Tack It Over and Over on the backs of the stamps - it stays "tacky" so that you can press it to the block, use it then peel it off and do that over and over again. (I've never tried this - I've just learned about it on the net).

Another way to do it is to just use double-sided tape on the acrylic block itself (some ppl recommend poster tape b/c it has a paper backing - so then you can replace the paper after each use thus keeping the tape cleaner - preventing it from losing it's stickiness faster by getting dust and debris stuck to it). You can also get a sheet of Tack 'N Peel (made by Tsukineko - same ppl that make StazOn) - that you put ON the acrylic block that all the rubber stamps will cling to - THAT idea I like!!

Stamping Bella stamps come unmounted and ALREADY cut out so you don't have to trim them. They are deeply etched rubber so you really DON'T need foam backing to get a good impression.

I thought I'd try these stamps out w/ double sided (Scotch Brand - in the yellow box that you can get practically everywhere) tape just to see what they're like. I stuck a couple of pieces on my block (this picture was taken after I'd used them several times - so the tape is a little dirty - but it made it easier to see them in the pic!!).

And the (CLEAN) stamp stuck to the tape w/out a problem.

And you can see through to the stamp no problem.

And you know I had NO problems getting a good, clear stamped image just using the tape and the rubber. It worked GREAT!!

However I ended up mounting my Bella stamps onto the cling foam anyway since that is the system I'm already using. I was worried that if I ended up accidentally pressing a foam backed stamp to the block w/ the tape I'd end up tearing the foam when I pulled the stamp off!!

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Ppl also ask how I store my unmounted stamps?? Right now they're in clear CD cases - yes the stamps WITH the foam will fit (these are REGULAR CD cases - not the slimline ones!). I'm looking in to some other options tho as I have a LOT of CD cases now that are full and some of my larger sets (like that Mandarin Pixie Alphabet) take up several cases and it's just a storage nightmare.

SO....I'll get back to you all on this when I come up w/ a system that works for me. If you've only got a few sets/stamps that are unmounted - storing them in the CD cases is great. I still like them stored that way - it's just that now I have an entire drawer FULL of CD cases and it's hard to find the one I want!

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ETA - All the acrylic blocks pictured are from Mandarin Pixie and are made by Prairie Stamper (if you google Prairie Stamper Acrylic Blocks you can find their homepage - I don't really know much about them but I had heard they make the BEST acrylic blocks and they ARE really really nice - very thick (about 3/4"), smooth, easy to hold and clear - they look like glass actually).

As for how I clean them - if they get really inky I'll scrub them in my stampin scrub just like my stamps. I'll also wipe them off w/ a baby wipe. If I get any solvent ink on them (ie StazOn) I'll use a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol to remove the ink.

Oh and my mom does my nails - they're gel and she has fun glittery top coats that she puts on them for me. I keep them short so I have no problems typing or stamping. And especially w/ all the pics I post on here that my fingers are usually in - I need to keep them nice *wink* LOL!

**MAJOR** Enabler Alert

So of course y'all know that I LOOOOOVVVEEEE my CuttleBug. WELL - for those that don't have the Bug but would really like to try out the fab CB embossing folders - check this out!!!:

Using a Rolling Pin w/ CuttleBug Embossing Folders

How cool is that?? If I didn't have the Bug already I would actually attempt to *find* my rolling pin (I'm guessing it's in the back of a drawer somewhere in my kitchen??? *wink*) and try this out!!

So now there is NO excuse for not jumping on the bandwagon - those folders are CHEAP and now you can use them as long as you've got a rolling pin handy!!

Happy Shopping everyone!!!

Gamsol and Prismacolor Pencils Tutorial Links

Several ppl have asked me about the Gamsol and Prismacolor Pencil technique (which I use a lot for coloring in my stamped images). Well, rather than re-invent the wheel and do up a tutorial I thought I'd provide links to all the ones I know of. I think that between all these *great* resources you can learn a LOT about this technique.

I do think this technique is pretty simple - it's just coloring and blending. Once you get that down you can start experimenting and being "artsy".

This first link is to a tutorial on Splitcoaststampers by Cecilia Ross:

Gamsol Magic

This second one is a PDF download that I got from Inky Antics (and was actually where I learned how to do this from - AND what got me sucked in to buying IA stamps! *wink*:

Colored Pencil Blending With Gamsol

The third link is to Anna Wight's blog post where she gave some great tips on using Prismacolors and Gamsol:

Prismacolor Pencil & Gamsol Tips...

Fourth link - GinaK uploaded this video (from one of her Instructional DVD's that can be bought from stampingfreak.com) - which is way cool - nothing like a real life video to learn how to do it! (when you click on the link make sure that the video is set to "Original Size" - there's a little arrow on the bottom right of the video that you can click on to set the size - otherwise it's really blurry).

Video of Prismacolor and OMS

Also here's the link to Gina's blog post where she talks about the video:

Odorless Mineral Spirits - I wanna' see it!

EDITED TO ADD: Here is a link to a tutorial GinaK did on her blog with pictures:

Prismacolor Pencil Tutorial

And last but certainly not least - here are some tips from Debbie Gimbel - the QUEEN of using Prismacolors and Gamsol. There is a LOT of useful info in here (thanks to Michelle and Cathy for sending me the link - you guys rock!!) along w/ step by step directions if you scroll down towards the end.

Gamsol Technique w/ Debbie Gimbel

I hope that between all these resources (and I'm sure that there's a ton of them out there in cyberland!) any questions/concerns you might have had will be answered!

Monogram Madness!!

As you will undoubtedly see - these are NOT the "masculine paisley" card I said I was gonna post today - that card will have to wait till tomorrow or Monday - but I WILL get it posted!

Anywho - there was a thread on the demo side of SCS about getting "patterned" letters using the Monogram stamps and patterned paper. And LeeAnn (you ROCK!!) posted that she just stamped the letters in VersaMark and clear embossed them. Can you believe that I've NEVER thought of that??? It was a total *smacks forehead* moment for me ROFL!!

So.......here's the two cards I came up w/:

 

STAMPS: Monogram "B", Carte Postale, French Flair, Canvas. CS: Whisper White, Mellow Moss, Pale Plum, Close to Cocoa, Enchante DS Paper. INK: VersaMark, Basic Black, Mellow Moss, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Close to Cocoa. ACCESSORIES: Clear Embossing Powder, Moss Gingham Ribbon, Crystal Effects, Ticket Corner Punch, Sponge Daubers, Vintage Brads, White Gel Pen.

I stamped the "B" using VersaMark onto the Enchante Designer Series Paper (from the Stampin' Up! Winter Mini), embossed it with Clear embossing powder then cut it out (leaving a slight border around it). I just LOVE how it looks embossed on patterned paper! It's SO simple yet looks so elegant!

I stamped and cut out the flower and leaves, and covered the flower w/ Crystal Effects to make it "POP" a little more.

STAMPS: Monogram "F", Love Matters, Dotted BG. CS: Whisper White, Cool Caribbean, Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Loves Me DS Paper. INK: VersaMark, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Taken w/ Teal, Certainly Celery Stampin' Write Markers, Cool Caribbean. ACCESSORIES: Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Flirty Ribbon, Soft Subtles Brads, Tag Corner Punch.

This one took a couple of tries. I originally embossed the "F" w/ clear EP - BUT it looked *awful*. I don't know about you - but my Clear EP isn't really clear - it's got specks of black, glitter, white etc etc etc that have snuck in the jar over time - and when I embossed on the lighter patterned paper - it ALL showed up. (When I did the "B" - since the paper was darker you can't really see the "specks" unless you look *really* close).

SO - after learning that unless you have CLEAR EP (LOL - I'm gonna have to get a new jar and try really hard to KEEP it clear!) - you need to stick to darker patterns of paper if you want it to look good!

So for this card I embossed it w/ Iridescent Ice EP and got a much better result.

I inked up the letters from the Friends stamp in the Love Matters set (also in the SU! Winter Mini) using Stampin' Write Markers, colored them in after stamping them, and adhered that to the Cool Caribbean CS. I then tied on a bit of the Caribbean ric rac ribbon onto the "F", and adhered that on top.

I'm actually pretty excited about this "new" (to me anyway!) way to use my Monogram stamps. Except for the Prima Card I made the other day I haven't used my Monogram Stamps for a LOOOONNNNGGGG time and was debating getting rid of them - now I wanna play some more w/ them!

Backs of Brads and Eyelets...

Julie had a good question about the brads on my Prima card:

"the brads placed here... the layer onto which the brads are poked seems to lay so flat onto the layer behind, are the brads poked through 2 layers and then cushioned up by dimensionals on the card base or do you snip your brads?"

Well Julie (and anyone else who wants to know :o) - the brads on this card show through on the inside of the card itself - I just poked holes through after I was done assembling the card and stuck them on!!

I AM one of those ppl who doesn't care if the backs of my eyelets and brads show. Every once in a while I WILL try to conceal them - but I usually don't bother. I like the layers on my cards to lay flat (or as flat as possible) and when I *try* to conceal the backs of brads (w/ eyelets it's easier as the backs of those can usually lay pretty flat - but the prongs on brads stick out a lot more) it creates bumps and whatnot in the CS anyway and (to ME) I think it ends up defeating the whole purpose in the first place!!

If someone sends me a card and I can see the backs of the brads/eyelets used when I open the card, it won't in anyway detract from the delight I'll feel at getting a hand-stamped card!!

I honestly *never* thought it was such an issue until I started seeing threads on the topic on SCS - and I guess it really *does* bother some ppl!!

I just hope that if I send a card to someone and they can see the backs of the brads and eyelets they won't get mad and toss it!  (OK totally exaggerating there but y'all know what I mean LOL!)

So that's my 2 cents on the whole backs of brads and eyelets showing issue!!

What do you all think?? Is it a total non-issue? Or is it really *bad* "stamping etiquette" to allow the unsightly backs of brads and eyelets show through on the inside of your cards???

Using VersaMark & Classic Ink

For those that don't know - you can ink up your stamps w/ VersaMark then ink them up (w/out stamping it) w/ Classic (dye) ink *then* stamp them - the VM keeps the ink from drying right away and you can then emboss the image w/ embossing powder (usually clear or something sparkly like Iridescent Ice EP as the whole point of doing this is to *see* the colored ink) or use Heat & Stick Powder.

Sarah had a question about using VersaMark w/ the Classic (dye) inks when I did my Tall Snowflake Card:

"Does the versamark rub off on your classic ink pad? Will it ruin the pad? Do you clean the ink pad off somehow?"

When using the 2 inks together I *always* ink up w/ VersaMark first (so important b/c if you do it wrong you're gonna wreck your VersaMark pad - ask me how I know...).

Now you will get *some* VersaMark ink in your Classic ink pad and there's not much you can do about it. If you think you've got a lot then you can try dabbing your Classic pad w/ a paper towel to absorb any excess VersaMark.

If you only do this every once in a while your Classic pads should be fine and have no problems (I have yet to notice any difference) - but really the only reason I would do it is b/c I don't have that particular color in Craft ink (which is all the new In Colors - everything else I have all the Craft pads for). Using this trick a lot *could* eventually ruin your ink pads and you don't want that!

If you find you want to use the VersaMark and Classic ink together a lot I *highly* recommend getting the Craft Pads as they stay wetter for longer and then you won't ruin your Classic Pads.

I hope this helps any of you who were wondering about this! :o)

Heat & Stick Powder & Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

I just saw Laura's comment asking if Heat & Stick Powder was the best way to use Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.

Well...it all depends. If I want the *entire* image to be glittery then yes - and it packs WAY more of a WOW than using Iridescent Ice Embossing powder (which is basically just DD Glitter and Clear EP anyway - just more convenient!). I LOVE the look of H&S powder and DD Glitter - it's just gorgeous and is SO worth the extra couple of steps!

I've also used the 2 Way Glue Pen to apply glue to select places then poured on the DD - you *must* work quickly tho as this glue dries really fast to that "sticky note" tackiness and the glitter won't stick well to that - I still prefer it to the Liquid Glue (especially when doing w/s's) as the LG takes forever to dry and it's almost guaranteed that someone will smear it before it dries.

I hope this helps!!

"Extending" Your Tag Punch

Did you know you can make longer tags w/ your tag punch?? I remember being told I could do this back when the punch was first released but I didn't get *how* till I actually saw it.

So for some of you this is old news but hopefully this will be the "Aha!!!" moment for *someone*!! LOL

Basically all you do is cut a strip of CS several inches long and (for this particular punch) 1 3/8" wide (the width will vary if you're using different punches).

Then all you do is pull the CS through the punch like so:

So then all you're really punching is the top portion - that way you get tags in any length you desire!! Cool eh??

So there on the right you can see a tag just punched w/ the Tag Punch (far right) and one that I pulled through and made longer.

So there's a *super* simple way to get more use out of your Tag Punch! I HTH someone!! :o)

Masking

I've been wanting to start a "Stamping 101" category for some time now. There are a lot of "basics" that stampers "should know" but I've noticed that a lot of the time ppl (like me) just assume that *everyone* already knows it and don't take the time to explain it!!

I remember when I first started stamping I would hear ppl talking about different things (whether it be heat embossing, masking, coloring or whatever) and a lot of the times I *thought* I knew what they were talking about I realized I had no clue when I would actually SEE someone doing it!! I'm a very visual learner - if I see it it's much easier for me to "get" it.

So after I did this card the other day I thought I would also show how to do masking step-by-step w/ pictures - I hope this helps y'all!! :o)

SETS: Think Big, Paisley, Happy Everything, Holiday Sampler (retired). CS: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Certainly Celery. INK: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Really Red, Bashful Blue, Basic Black. ACCESSORIES: Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Clear EP, Black Grosgrain, Light Blue Gingham, Iridescent Ice EP.

To create a mask you need sticky notes, and ink pad and a stamp (solid images are easiest and best to start with - once you get the hang of it you can do more detailed images - they take a lot more time to cut out but the end result is worth it!!)

Stamp the image on the sticky note making sure that part of it is actually on the sticky part on the back (as that holds it in place when you use it).

Cut out the image carefully leaving no blank areas (this is where scissors like the Paper Snips come in really handy - they are AWESOME for getting into all the little places!). It helps to cut *slightly inside* the outside lines - this helps to prvent unwanted "white space" around your image.

After stamping you image on CS place the mask on top (normally I wouldn't have stamped the flower before doing the mask but I wasn't thinking LOL!)

Stamp the image(s) around the mask.

NOTE: When you are masking multiple images (say I had wanted to do Ellie, the alligator and the giraffe from this set all in a group) the image you want in the FRONT will be the image you mask as everything stamped on/around it will appear to be BEHIND the masked image.

Once you're done stamping the images pull off the mask. All the snowflakes I stamped don't cover the elephant image.

Now this was something I thought was really cool:

When you are done w/ the mask *don't throw it out!!* Place it on TOP of the image on your stamp - that way you'll always know where it is and you don't have to cut out a new one every time you want to mask that image. (I was so wow-ed when I was shown that at Regionals a couple of years ago LOL!). Since you're using sticky notes you just peel it off each time you want to use it - cool eh??

About the card:

I did the kissing technique on Ellie - I inked up the Linen BG w/ Old Olive and Ellie w/ Certainly Celery and pressed it on to the BG, huffed on it, then stamped it on the CS. I re-stamped her ear (w/out kissing it) on a scrap of CS and adhered it w/ a dimensional.

I used the Santa hat from the Holiday Sampler set (retired) for her - I thought it was pretty cute! The snowflake stamp is also from that set. I added glue and DD Glitter to the flakes and to the "snow" she's standing on.

The Paisley piece turned out pretty cool but is a little overwhelming on this card (at least that's what I think). I stamped it on Bashful Blue w/ Real Red craft ink and embossed it w/ clear EP. It looks SO cool IRL - it's all shiny and textured.

I stamped the "Happy" with Certainly Celery craft and the snowflakes beside it w/ Bashful Blue Craft that I embossed w/ Iridescent Ice EP (just the flakes - I left the "Happy" as is).

I tied a little red gingham to her tail and cut out another flower from a scrap of CS and added glitter to the center.

I think it took longer to type this all up than it did to actually MAKE the card LOL!!

In Color® Combo Chart

Now *this* is cool. Stampin' Up!® has made a color chart w/ combos using the new In Colors®!! (It's 4 pages of combos BTW :o) )

Download CAN_color_combos.pdf

I printed it off on Whisper White SU CS - it looks so pretty - I am so gonna have to try out some of these combos!!

~~NOTE - If you don't have color ink in your printer you can still print out the charts and then use your 3/4" Circle punch to punch out the CS and glue them over the circles. It will obviously be more work but I would do that if I didn't have color ink - these charts and combos are going to be such a nice resource to have!!~~

ENJOY!!