Playing with Photopolymer Stamps

The stamping world has had Photopolymer stamps for quite a while and I used to try to play with my “completely clear” stamps.  I love the idea that I could see totally through the stamp so that I knew precisely where I was stamping.  However, I discovered that not all clear stamps are created equal.  I have some that have turned yellow on me (even without me using them… gasp! I know, right? how can you have stamps that never get inky? ) and I have some that frustrated me because I couldn’t get a crisp image no matter what I tried.

Well, Stampin’ Up! held off while they tried to figure out a formula for making these stamps without some of these issues.  Then they started coming out with their own designs.  So, I decided to give them a shot and then thought I’d share what I did.

I grabbed the Designer Typeset stamp set, which was the first set they came out with.  See, this is what it looks like when you get it…. no box, just a ton of cute little clear stamps in a plastic sleeve.

And out of the sleeve….

Then I set to work and created this as one of my first cards:

I know, it is totally simple, but it gave me a chance to experiment and learn a few things… like:

• Don’t be afraid to bend your stamps!
  If they can bend and stay on the block, then it is perfectly fine to stamp them that way.  If they won’t stay on the block, you’ve bent it too far.
• Be prepared and ok that your stamped lines aren’t going to be super thin
  When you push on the stamp to transfer your ink to paper, the photopolymer compresses and stretches a little, so you get slightly fatter lines than you maybe expected.
• If you have the letters, lay them out on your paper for placement – THEN push the block down on them to ink up.
  So in this case, I stamped the banners first.  Then I laid out my letters in exactly the spot I wanted them to be on my banner. 
  THEN I pressed my clear block down on top of the letters.   That way I could ink them up all at the same time and stamp knowing they would go exactly where I wanted them to go!

• The juicier the ink pad the better!
  Yes I know, it goes without saying… but still.  I did see slight differences when I used my old style ink pads with my new ink pads.

If you want to see more tips, check out this video I made all about the Photopolymer stamps:

If you can’t see the video, check out the direct link here.

So, if you think it is something fun to try and play with, Stampin’ Up! just came out with their 5th photopolymer stamp set – Wanderlust.  But here is the complete list:

• Designer Typeset – pdf flyer | online
• Bombs Away Birthday – pdf flyer | online
• Show & Tell 1 – pdf flyer | online
• Show & Tell 2 – pdf flyer | online
• Wanderlust (NEW) – pdf flyer | online

I still love my rubber stamps… but I definitely think completely clear stamps have a place in my stamp room too!

Guest Stamper: Make Your Own Fabulous Backgrounds

I have a Facebook group for my Stampin’ Up! team where we share ideas, support, and projects we’ve been working on.  Well, this was one of the cards that Elise Hamilton posted in the group and we were all blown away by how cool the background looked on her card!

So I asked her if she minded if I shared this with you all since I thought it was a great idea.  Here is her card:

And seriously, who doesn’t love cupcakes?

So, I loved how she used the Keep Calm hostess stamp set (available through Monday June 3rd only!) and then made her own background paper to compliment the cupcake colors.

When asked how she made it, this is what she said:

“I took a paper towel and grabbed ink off of my ink pad and then began to swipe it over the whisper white card stock.”

How easy is that?!

So grab a paper towel, your white paper, and some ink and give it a try!

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Stampin’ Up! Supples Used
Stamps – Keep Calm (*hostess set)
Paper – Whisper White
Ink – Early Espresso, Melon Mambo, Regal Rose marker

How to Make Your Own Flocking & Add Fuzz to Your Projects

When I was playing with the Swallowtail stamp, I realized that it was a big stamp… seriously, like background sized big stamp.  And I was trying to figure out how I wanted to use it.  So, I cut and I played, but I really wanted to keep the full butterfly image for my card.  So I let go of my 4 1/4” x 5 1/2” boundaries and let my butterfly fly!

But then as I was working on the rest of my card, I decided that the Honeycomb embossing folder looked a bit too tall… too sharp for my card.  So I grabbed my handy sanding block and started rubbing down the layers.  When I was done, I was much happier with my cardstock and I had a ton of extra fuzz collecting on my desk.

That fuzz makes awesome flocking!  If you don’t know what flocking it, it is like glitter only instead of being a jar full of reflective bits, it is a jar full of fluffy fuzz.  It is perfect to add as a layer over parts of your stamped image or card that you want to have a plush texture and when you make your own, it perfectly matches the rest of your project.

Here is a close up of how my honeycomb looked when I was done sanding and you can kind of see the butterfly body too:

I even made a video so you can see how I made it!

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Supples Used
Stamps – Swallowtail, Fabulous Phrases
Paper – Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder
Ink – Early Espresso
Accessories – Big Shot, Honeycomb Embossing Folder, Rhinestones, Sanding Block, Stampin’ Dimensionals

What To Do With Extra Easter Egg Dye

So, now that Easter is over, grab that extra Easter egg dye that is on sale in the stores because I have a fun project for you!  Making your own custom dyed ribbon!

I was making Easter eggs with the kids and I loved how vibrant the colors came out.  (I always us the formula where you use 3 Tbsp of vinegar to dissolve the dye pellets) and I thought it was a shame to dump all the extra when we were done.

So, I thought – why not try using it on other things.  So, I thought why not ribbon?  Turns out it works great!

Once you’ve colored your eggs, leave the dye in your bowls and grab some ribbon.  I particularly love the white Organza Ribbon for this technique.

Leave your ribbon in each of the bowls for a few minutes to let it soak up the dye completely.  You can pull it out to check on the color and if it isn’t as deep as you want, put it back in for a little bit longer.  Then when you take them out, lay them out on paper towels to catch drips and let the ribbon dry.

You’ll see your ribbon go from shiny white to something like this:

Once you have all the colors done, they will probably look like this:

I found the Twill tape ribbon and the Victoria Crochet ribbon didn’t turn out as vibrantly as the satin-y part of the Organza ribbon.  So, I would probably stick to that type of ribbon for best results.

Once you are done, use it like any other ribbon on your projects.  I thought that the yellow reminded me of Daffodil Delight, so I used it in a spring card with lots of bright colors:

See, here is a close up of the ribbon (and some Dazzling Details on the flower that is really hard to see in a picture ):

I hope you enjoyed this idea for your extra dyes… and don’t forget, FREE SHIPPING starts tomorrow morning!  So, it is a perfect time to grab some extra ribbon, clearance Easter egg dye in the store, and get creative!

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Don’t Forget!  RSVPs and mail order kit orders are due soon for the Print Poetry Class coming up on April 20th!
Can’t make the party?  Class by mail and instruction only options are available – check it out here

Print Poetry Camp & Class by Mail

Cute and Quick Masking Card using Oh Hello

I love my monthly technique classes, not only because I love sharing new ideas with the folks who come craft with me, but it forces me to remember some techniques I haven’t tried in a while and come up with new takes on old methods.

Today’s card is one we created recently in my Misting and Masking technique class. 

This was a simple card that is a lot of fun to do!  And it uses 3 different styles of masking!

1.   Using a mask so your stamp pattern only shows in the pattern of the mask
(in this case, I die cut a flower from the Floral Fusions framelits and laid the paper with the flower shaped hole over my card front.  Then I stamped using the chevron oval from the Oh Hello stamp set.  Ta da!  A custom chevron flower!)

2.  Using a cut out piece of paper to prevent part of the stamp image from leaving ink on your card front
(in this case, I used the die cut flower from step one and laid it over the stamped chevron flower.  Then I could stamp my arrow “leaves” and have them appear to be hidden behind the flower!)

3.  Use a post-it note to cover up part of a stamp’s image before inking
(in this case, I covered up the “oh” part of the “oh hello” stamp so that I only inked up the Hello part.  This works a bit better than inking up the whole thing and trying to clean off just the “oh” part because often you don’t get it all or you still have some weird colored cleaner on the stamp that transfers to your image exactly where you don’t want it.)

See, made entirely by tweaking up the Oh Hello stamp set:

And the cute Sycamore Street ribbon and button bundle from the Sale-a-Bration flyer (yup! that is right!  Get all the ribbon and buttons you see here FREE with your $50 order!)

So, give it a try and I hope you had as much fun as I did!

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Hello Masking Card Recipe:
Stamps: Oh Hello
Ink: Crumb Cake, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green
Paper: Whisper White cs, Raspberry Ripple cs, Crumb Cake cs
Accessories: Sycamore Street ribbon & button pack*, Glue Dots, Big Shot, Floral Fusion framelits

* item that is available for free with a $50 order through 3/22/2013