The most versatile ink is dye ink. It is also perhaps the most common. It can be used on almost every type of paper. It does not do well on vellum, however. This is in part because of one of its few limitations, namely, that it dries too quickly to be used for embossing and because of a limitation of vellum, that ink on vellum must be embossed or it will smear.

If you wish to emboss, you will want to select pigment ink. This ink is also great if you want to blend colors together since it is rather like paint in this regard. Pigment ink also won’t fade with sunlight, so it will be a great addition to a craft that receives direct sunlight. Pigment ink does not clean up as well as dye ink does, and so you will often have to use a toothbrush to scrub at your rubber die a bit. If the ink is being stubborn, try a bit of water mixed with window cleaning solution.

If you want to fill in or around your print with a water-based paint, such as watercolor, or markers, you’ll need a different set of ink, unless you want to emboss pigment ink. This ink you’ll need is alternately called archiver’s ink or permanent ink. There won’t be as many colors to choose from as with dye ink or pigment ink, so don’t be disappointed when you’re shopping around looking for an unusual color.

Inks are a very important part of the rubber stamping hobby. I hope this article has given you a little more information on how to choose the right ones.

The Original Post is Located Here: The Wonderful World of Ink

Are you tired of your old rubber stamps or find you don’t have enough? I might have a solution for you. Do you remember what it was like to get presents when you were too young or too busy to make a list? The sheer surprise when you did get them is overwhelming. This can definitely be an antidote to not having enough or not having any new stamps. You can discover or rediscover the fantastic hobby of rubber stamping, all with this new rush of excitement from a bunch of rubber stamps that you didn’t pick out individually, but just came in a large set.

Buying rubber stamps in a collection or lot is a great way to get variety. Chances are that the lot will come with larger stamps and smaller, highly detailed, outline, and bold-faced stamps. You’ll be able to expand your rubber stamping repertoire and be confronted with a whole new set of shapes and ideas to work with.

In terms of price, smart shoppers know that you really can’t beat buying in bulk, and this maxim is true in the rubber stamping hobby as well. You’re sure to get a good deal on rubber stamps if you are willing to buy a large lot of them. It may be a bit of an investment, but when you think about the price per rubber stamp, you’ll be paying much less than if you bought each individually.

So if you’re looking to bring some more fun into your rubber stamping hobby while still keeping it affordable, try buying rubber stamp lots next time.

The Original Post is Located Here: The Benefits of Buying Rubber Stamp Lots or Collections

What’s in a stamp? You may be thinking that question is purely academic and unimportant if you just want to use them, but have you ever thought about making your stamps better or even repairing old ones? You’ll need to know what goes into a stamp. Along the way, we can also learn the different types of stamps and what they’re strong points are, just in case you’re looking to start a rubber stamp collection or want to add to an existing collection. Let’s take a look.

The creative part of most stamps is the rubber die. This die has been impressed with an image which can be of anything under the sun, or even an image of the sun itself. Bumble bees, leprechauns, hearts, and monogram letters. The sky is truly the limit. And in terms of having them all, now that the internet has made things so accessible, your bank account and shopping savvy are the real limits to what rubber dies you can have.

Glued onto the rubber die is a foam cushion. This helps distribute the pressure you apply onto the rubber die so that the image looks even. Onto the foam cushion is glued various things, depending on the type of stamp. The classic rubber stamp has a wood block on it, typically with a picture of what is on the rubber die. A wood block stamp is preferable to some stamping hobbyists because it is relatively hardy and classy looking. A common alternative to wooden rubber stamps are the acrylic stamps. A clear block of acrylic is mounted on the foam cushion, allowing users to see better exactly where they are stamping.

A cheaper alternative to wooden and acrylic stamps is the foam stamp. A foam stamp is different from the others in that it typically doesn’t use rubber or the foam cushion, but is one solid shaped piece of foam, all which acts as the stamping surface. These stamps are desirable on the one hand because they are cheaper, but on the other are limited to less detailed shapes and have the tendency to look uneven when stamped, unless great care is taken.

The Original Post is Located Here: The Anatomy of a Rubber Stamp

The people of Stampin’ Up! really believe in the quality of their products. They’re not like any old company, filled with bureaucrats and salesmen that are disenchanted with their wares. Rather, Stampin’ Up! is a company run by people who are enthusiastic about the world of rubber stamping and the products they offer. In fact, Stampin’ Up! is not sold in stores, but through home parties and independent sales consultants. And now that internet sales have expanded, you are sure to find lots of Stampin’ Up! products used and new online.

When you’re looking to make quality crafts, your materials are very important. After all, if you get kitchy, low-quality products, you’ll have a hard time creating a worthwhile craft. Fortunately for you, stamps from Stampin’ Up! are designed by professional artists. Colors are selected for what is popular each season, and tools are designed for and by people who actually use them for rubber stamping crafts. And all Stampin’ Up! products are exclusive, which means that the stamp designs and colors are like nothing you’ll find anywhere else.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s difficult for me to come up with unique ideas for craft projects. The people at Stampin’ Up! understand this. They have created color collections so that you will have a great palette to work from for your next project. Many of their stamps also come in sets so that you can create a lively scene or decorative card with ease.

Really, in terms of the quality and ideas, you can’t go wrong with rubber stamping products from Stampin’ Up!

The Original Post is Located Here: Stampin’ Up! Rubber Stamping Supplies

Unless you want to be rubber stamping on paper and have no way of mounting or cutting out your designs, you’re going to need a few basic tools, beyond stamps, ink pads, and brush art markers. Just like scrapbooking is so much more than glue, scraps, and a blank book but requires other tools and materials, rubber stamping also requires its own set of tools and materials. In this article, we’ll look at some of the tools that will get your rubber stamping to the next level.

One of the first tool for rubber stamping you’ll need are a few pairs of scissors. You’ll find these to be invaluable in liberating your beautiful rubber stamp image. But don’t think that the pair of scissors in your desk drawer is sufficient. In reality, you’re going to need decorative edged scissors and not just one pair. To have truly interesting rubber stamping crafts, you will need a variety of different edged scissors at your disposal. These are not expensive tools, so no excuses. Also in the cutting and edging department, you’ll need a craft knife and cutting mat to get precision straight lines. And of course, unless you’re an expert at making freehand straight lines, you’ll need a ruler to guide you. Serious rubber stamping hobbyists sometimes choose to buy a paper cutter.

You will also need adhesive so that you can layer paper and mount your rubber stamping design onto decorative or textured paper. Some rubber stamping enthusiasts also like to put glue on the stamp as if it were ink and press that down on paper and use gold leaf for a beautiful effect.

As you can see, you would really be at a loss if you were missing some of the appropriate tools for rubber stamping.

The Original Post is Located Here: Scissors and Rulers and Glue – Oh My!

Honestly, you’d have a hard time thinking of a solid surface that couldn’t be rubber stamped. Fabric, even fabric like velvet, glass, porcelain, terracotta, and wood can all be stamped and used to create beautiful and even useful crafts. If you’re got enough material and a pioneering spirit, you could stamp anything just to see how it would turn out. This article will focus on tips for using rubber stamps on some of the more common non-paper surfaces.

If you’re stamping on a floppy surface like fabric, your first task will be to create a level surface underneath. This will keep the fabric from wrinkling and creating an imperfect stamping look. I recommend foam stamps for this sort of job and definitely fabric safe paint, especially if you’ll ever want to wash the garment. And be careful with your work, because fabric paint is permanent, so you’ll have to live with any mistakes or start over again.

For rubber stamping on terracotta, glass, and porcelain, there really aren’t a lot of unusual practices. If you’re working with a curved surface, however, this is one time when you have my blessing to roll your stamp (gently!) across the surface as you press it down. I suggest practicing that rolling motion on the curved surface before you ink the stamp. This will help you cut down on error and waste.

If you want to use rubber stamps on wood, you must first prepare the surface. Use a piece of sandpaper to smooth out the wood. Make sure you wipe the wood dust off the surface before you begin stamping, otherwise your work will look grainy and uneven. You will also need to use a heat gun for two to three minutes over where you stamped in order for the ink to settle in and never smear.

As you can see, using your rubber stamps on non-paper surfaces is not overly difficult. It only requires you step up your stamping game a bit and be mindful of your material.

The Original Post is Located Here: Rubber Stamping on Non-Paper Surfaces

You’re ready to take your rubber stamping hobby to the next level, right? I bet you’ve always wanted to make crafts that look professional. When you add embossing to your technique repertoire. In this article, we’ll take a look at what tools you’ll need to make a great craft with embossing.

Check your ink supply. If you’re a relative beginner to the rubber stamping world, I bet you have a lot of dye-based inks. Do you have any pigment inks? If not, now’s the time. Though dye-based inks are easy to use, they dry too fast to be used for the embossing process.

In addition to pigment ink, you’ll need a few other supplies. The first is an embossing powder. While this material may seem initially expensive and seems, once you start using it, that you’ll use a lot, in reality, you’ll get a lot of use from the one bottle. It’s important to have a scrap piece of paper handy so that you can catch excess powder and funnel it back into the jar, that way you’ll get as much use as you can out of the bottle.

The next supply you’ll need is a heat source. And no, a hair dryer won’t be sufficient for embossing. There are a couple of other household items that might work for you. If you have a toaster oven, you can put your work in there. Alternatively, you can use an iron set to the cotton setting. If you really like embossing your rubber stamping work, you’ll want to invest in a heat gun specifically for embossing. You should be able to find one in any craft store or online.

Once you have your supplies ready, you’ll be ready to tackle the embossing process.

The Original Post is Located Here: Rubber Stamping and Embossing

The wonderful world of paper! When you’re a rubber stamping hobbyist, you must make the different types of paper a key consideration in your stamping crafts. If you use the wrong paper type, you’re liable to be unsatisfied with the results or even have to repeat your work. So to know what you need to about paper options, let’s take a look at some of the nitty-gritty details.

When you’re thinking about what paper to choose, you must determine if what you are stamping is going to be functional or simply decorative. If it is functional, chances are that you’ll have to read it for many years to come. For example, if you are using rubber stamping decoration to liven up a recipe card or a gift tag, you will want these things to be able to stand up to their expected wear and tear. It would be inappropriate in these cases to put your rubber stamping design on tissue paper since it would not be durable enough. Card stock paper would be much more appropriate for these applications.

Some projects are simply decorative. Framed art work is one such example. You can be much more free in your paper selection. Whatever you choose though, make sure your paper is acid free or archival quality paper so that the paper under your art work does not become brittle or yellow with the passing of time. Construction is one such paper that is rarely archival quality and reacts poorly to the stamping process. Though it’s inexpensive, it won’t pay off in the long run.

You will need to keep in mind the limitations of particular paper types. First off, sticker paper doesn’t stand up to embossing, so choose another paper for that job. On the other hand, ink on vellum paper must be embossed otherwise it will smear. And if you want to use tissue paper, choose a dye-based ink for this material because the paper is so thin.

In the end, paper selection is somewhat of a trial and error game to see what you like best and what works. Keep in mind these tips to help guide you through the process.

The Original Post is Located Here: Paper Selection for Rubber Stamping

In my opinion, the title of this article is obvious. If you want to make the most of your investment in rubber stamps, ink pads, and the rest of the materials involved with this hobby, you really need an idea book. No, it doesn’t have to be the only way you come up with ideas, but in this article, I’ll present my case as to why I believe that it is vital for an enjoyable and useful hobby in the form of rubber stamping.

If you’re creativity challenged like I can be sometimes, coming up with a craft on your own can be time consuming and frustrating. I know that I don’t work to my true potential if I have a blank slate when I start out, especially if I am new to a hobby or art form. I like to learn some about it on the internet before I invest in the materials, but it really helps to have a lot of ideas all laid out before me when I strategize about a craft. If you get a good deal on an idea book, it can also help you decide if this will be a casual hobby, for which you should get limited supplies, or a serious way that you would make cards, tags, ornaments, lampshades, and so much more. In other words, it can help you decide how much, if at all, you want to invest in supplies. And rubber stamping is no exception.

Even if you are creative and confident that you want to pursue a particular hobby, it can definitely help to have ideas along the way, even if you end up taking them in a different direction than what the idea book writer outlined. An idea book is then a great springboard for your own creative ideas. And, if you are naturally creative, you can also pick up authoritative tips on what products work better than others and for certain situations.

If you get an idea book for rubber stamping, you’ll be more confident, creative, and knowledgeable about your hobby. And what’s wrong with that?

The Original Post is Located Here: Is a Rubber Stamping Idea Book Right for Me-

As you may have learned from experimentation, foam stamps are much different than other rubber stamps, especially when it comes to inking them. Now for some, this poses no problem because they learned how to ink this stamp first and then had to adjust to the other types. If you’ve found a project that would be best with foam stamping and haven’t yet mastered the art, this article could be very useful for you. We’ll go over how to ink a foam stamp for success and then some basic technique.

As you hopefully know by now, you’ll need paints to ink a foam stamp. I recommend acrylic paint since it comes in lots of different colors and is fairly easy to use. If you haven’t gotten one by now, purchase a sponge brush, preferably one with a long flat surface. Apply paint to the sponge brush. Next, tap the paint from the sponge brush onto the foam stamp evenly. For best results, make sure you use that tapping motion and resist the urge to ab or brush the paint onto the foam stamp. Try to make sure you’ve applied the paint as evenly as possible to the foam stamp before stamping. If you want to test to see how you’ve done, use a scrap piece of paper before printing onto the real surface.

Once you’re ready to print the target surface, use a straight motion and don’t rock the foam stamp from side to side. This will ensure that you have an even looking stamp. And don’t fret if the image has a slight variations in color depth. This is natural when using a foam stamp and adds to the character of your work.

Foam stamps can be a great addition to any stamper’s collection. I hope that with these tips and encouragement, you too will try them out.

The Original Post is Located Here: Inking Foam Stamps Properly