Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Rubber Stamping for the First Time

Hi Everyone,

Since I have already discussed how easy and fun scrapbooking can be, I thought I would now discuss how to rubber stamp for the first time. I don’t know about you, but I really love to send cards in the mail to my friends and family. I began rubber stamping years ago as a young adult. Mostly because I loved all kinds of different crafts and rubber stamping was so new and exciting for me. As my card making progressed, I realized how much cheaper it was for me to make my own cards. And being a young adult with a small child money was very tight and I had to cut corners wherever I could. Of course 15 years later the same could not be said since I own probably every tool, inkpad, and paper on the market today! Maybe for my next article, I can teach you all the different ways to hide receipts and new products from your husband’s! Just kidding! When you delve into the craft of rubberstamping you only need a few materials to get started. You don’t have to buy everything in the rubber stamp store, unless you have the money. In that case, “Go for it!”

So for the beginners, let’s start with the basics.

Card Stock and Pattern Papers- for your rubberstamping projects you don’t need to use acid-free papers (unless there are photographs in your project), but because a lot of the products you can buy for rubber stamping can also be used in your scrapbooking pages, I feel like you should. Besides, almost all of the papers found in rubber stamp and scrapbook stores are acid-free and lignin free. The best way to start is to use white card stock, so you have a base that you can stamp on. You can always layer your card with coordinating card stock colors and pattern papers.

Inkpads-Dye-based or Pigment- Let me begin with explaining the difference between the two types. Dye-based inkpads dry quickly, and most of them are waterproof, which allows you to watercolor your image. Dye-based inkpads, I feel are better for beginners but because the ink may fade over time, you may not want to use them for the projects that you want to last for generations. Pigment pads are wetter, and they will smear if you don’t heat set or embossed them (which I’ll explain later), but they are for the most part all permanent when dry. Archival inkpads are permanent pigment inks that are formulated not to fade. These inkpads are best used in scrapbooks and projects that you want to keep for a long time. Whatever ink pads you choose to use, be sure to give them a test try on a piece of scrap paper before you begin your project.

Embossing- Let’s talk a little bit about embossing. To embossed on a project you will need a pigment or embossing inkpad embossing powder and a heat gun, which can be purchased at any rubber stamp, scrapbook, or hobby store. Embossing powder is made from plastic particles that adheres to the glycerin used in embossing and pigment ink pads. When a heat source (heat gun) is applied to these particles they melt onto the paper giving it a raised image. To begin ink your stamp with the inkpad. There are two ways to do this. The method I prefer is to place my stamp on my worktable with the rubber side of and applied the ink to the stamp. This way you can make sure your stamp is completely covered. The other way is to place the ink pad on the table and press the stamp into the inkpad. Either way works nicely and you’ll decide the more you stamp which way suits you. Once your stamp is inked, press the stamp on the card stock firmly with even pressure over the entire stamp and bring the stamp straight up. Do not rock the stamp back and forth. This will cause the image to blur. After you have stamped your image on the card stock sprinkle the entire image with embossing powder and gently tap off the excess onto a piece of scrap paper. Return the excess power back into the jar. Take a small dry paintbrush to remove stray powder on your project. Apply heat with a heat gun to your image constantly moving the heat gun around the image until the powder is completely melted. Do not hold the heat gun to close as it will burn your project. Always use caution when using a heat gun to avoid burning yourself or your worktable. Once the powder is completely melted, you will have a raised image on your project that is now ready to be colored.

Markers, Colored Pencils, Watercolors and Chalks- are the common items used to add color to your stamped images. I suggest that you play with each of these items until you find the one that you are most comfortable to begin working with. But the more you get into rubberstamping you will find that although you might find a favorite, you will end up using different coloring techniques for different projects. My all time favorite are chalk pencils. I love the fact that they are easy to use but with blending and shading you can achieve stunning results.

“Take Time to Enjoy” Card

Materials

Pink card stock- 5 ½” x 7”
White card stock- 4 ¼” x 5 ½”
Striped pattern paper by Creative Imaginations
Ò- 5” x 6 ½”
Ancient Page
Ô inkpads by ClearsnapÒ- Lime, Lavender, Pink Pizzazz, and Primrose
Ultra-Fine glitter
Lavender ribbon
Zip Dry Paper Glue
Ô by Beacon AdhesivesÒ
6 Lavender eyelets
Silent Setter
Ô by Provo CraftÒ
Rubber Stamps by Hero Arts
Ò

Instructions

1. Apply ink directly to the stamps. Stamp on white card stock. Tear card stock to separate images. Apply ink around the edges.

2. Apply glue around edges of card stock and also on the flowers. Sprinkle with glitter. Add eyelets to images with eyelet setter. Tie ribbon through eyelets.

3. Layer papers and adhere together.




Thank you for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa
Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

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