Tips:
To keep ink from sticking to the wooden background on your stamp, seal it. Try using clear fingernail polish, vernish. Whatever you have that will work.
To keep ideas close at hand I have a string pinned to the shelf above my craft desk. I simply put a push pin at each end, and used yarn that I had on hand. I even made it long on one end, so I can adjust it to the amount of cards attached. If the yarn is sagging I pull the string to tighten it up. You can keep the cards on with paper clips, or the small plastic "clothespins". I think my "clothespins came from an office supply store.
To give my fragile papers a neat edge I pick the egdes. Instead of tearing, I pinch, and pull (like you pull a fuzzball off of a sweater) It gives a neat looking, eneven edge.
Need a way to clean your stamps? Well there are thousands of ways really, but try this. I have "Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes" they are around 3-4 dollars at Wal-Mart, in the beauty sections. They don't contain harsh chemicals, and they do contain cucumber, chamailoe and other "conditioning agents." They look just like a baby wipe, but they don't have that baby smell.
Do you use tea-bags to antique your paper? Well when I tried I couldn't even cover half a page before the tea bag busted. Now I keep a piece of paper on top of the fridge, and whenever I get a tea bag I pull it down, and cover as much as I can. Then I put it back to dry and await the next bag. When that page is finished I just put a new one on top the fridge.
Whenever I buy a new stamping item I follow a system. For stamps I automatically Stamp the image in my "Stamp Demos" Notebook. I have sheets with all my stamps images, so I can just flip through to see what I have. It's much easier than going through your whole stamp collection. For paper I always "prepare" them before I do anything. I buy Paper by the larger pack (atleast 30 sheets of 1 color) and whenever I buy new paper I prepare to stamp on it. First I take 3-5 ssheets and cut in half for cards, thenn I mark one out for beads, and 1 out in 1.5 x 4" pieces for bookmarks. I go ahead and cut the cards, but just leave the other whole to cut when need. Then I don't have to mark them out when I am ready for a project.
Need to clean your stamps? Well here's what I do, I use large wet paper towels, (mine are "Professional Teri-reinforced Towelettes) and I simply wipe the ink off the stamp. This doesn't really get ink out the crevices, but it works well for surface ink. Then as the paper towel gets full of ink, I let it dry, and use it for stamping to. To keep the towel from wetting my work surface I actually keep it in a soap dish. Another way to clean stamps is a scrubber. You see these in stamp stores and catalogs, and are furry looking rectangles. Well I have seen them advertised for $15!, but I went to Wal-mart, and in the paint section they had "Paint Edger Refills" for $1.97 ! It is just like the ones in the stamp catalog, and it is a pack of two. You can place it is a shallow container full of water, or place it in a container and spray it with cleaner, to scrub your stamps. Now that 12 more dollars to spend on stamp stuff!
Want to make your stamped images come out from the page? Like you use "Pop-Outs" for? Well here's an alternative that is less that 50 cents for a sheet! In the crafts section of your local store, there is Fun Foam , yes I know we've all heard of it. Well, if you buy a sheet, you can cut it into small squares (rectangles, triangles, anything you want) and use a thin layer of glue on each side to make your images pop out! Just use it just like your current method.
Instead of buying expensive "Stamping Sponges" I bought a 97 Cents car washing sponge from the store. It was so big, and I cut it into smaller pieces. I got about 7 sponges out of 1! My sponge was bone shaped, and I just cut it in to about 1" think sections instead of having a 8 inch long sponge, I have 7 or 8 small sponges. For just a buck!
Masking Made Easy: I make a mask of the stamp as soon as I get a new stamp. I use thick paper, and then to mask I use a 3M brand Repostionable Glue Stick. Mine was only $2 for a large stick. It's the same glue used on post-its. I use that to hole the paper down, then simply pull it off when I'm done masking. It doesn't even leave a residue usually. Then I store the mask on the stamp, so it's right there next time I need it! If it is a set of stamps in a plastic box, I attach it to the lid. You could also keep a folder full , and then just peel them off and use as needed.
Ugh Time for Spring Cleaning! I know we all hate it (you can't stamp and clean at the same time!) but it must be done. But there are perks, Like if you buy a gentle cleaner, you can use the leftovers to make stamp cleaner. Or you can tell your husband that you can't get the house to look clean, and it needs to be repainted (or wallpapered!) either one will require a trip to a stroe with something good for stamping! But my favorite is this, when you get your carpet cleaned, ask the cleaners if they have any "Foam Carpet Pads (or Blocks)" they usually use them to keep your furniture off of the wet floor. You'll want t new one, so ask if you can have a few, (they may charge, But don't pay more than $1!) (My father cleans carpets so I know that they are only about 50 cents to $1) Why do you need these you ask? Well you can use them for shadow stamps, you can use your stylus and press designs into the foam, or or can mount on it. You can't mount anything heavy, but if you use your repostionable glue, you can mount your homemade Fun Foam shadow stamps. Then just pull that shadow stamp off and use the next one. Just take my word for it, GET SOME! You'll be glad you did.
Techniques:
I'm sure you've heard of the bubble technique for backgrounds. Well, when I decided to try it, we didn't have any dye! But I solved the problem by using bleach. I had to bubble mixture in an 8 oz. kids cups, and added about a half of a capful of bleach. The results were wonderful! I used a light blue paper, and got a nice lilac background! If you want you can take it a step futher. I let it dry and then used my Stamping Toothbrush to add flecks of blue ink. I rubbed the toothbrush in the ink, and just stippled the paper.
We're all women right? Well maybe not, but we all know what a tampon is! Have you stamped with one? You should! Just ink the top, and it makes nice backgrounds as well as shades well. Experiment you can stipple it for a spotty look, rubb for a smooth shading look, or even stipple and swirl at the same time for a neat design. There are so many things you can do!
To make beads- Take a piece of 8.5 x 11" paper and mark it as follows. Start on one corner of the paper, and go longwise down the paper making small marks every inch. Then go along the other side, but for this side make the first mark 1/2" from the bottom. Then continue marking every inch from there. Now take your ruler and make a line from the marked corner to the 1/2" mark. Continue making triangles along the lines until you are done. You will end up with a page of paper marked in long skinny triangles. When you need a bead just cut of a triangle, then place the fat edge along a toothpick (or other thin item) and roll it until you reach the end. At the end, apply a small drop of glue, hold the end along the bead. I hope this instructions are clear enough, I am going to try to make a diagram on put here.
Go To The Main Page
Get Ready to Swap!