I've talked about using my Stamp-a-ma-jig many times on this blog and for those of you who I've had the pleasure of stamping with, you've seen it and probably used it. One thing I hear quite often is "I've got one of those, but don't remember how to use it". Well, here's an informative tutorial for you from the Stampin Up home office.
So, now that you've seen how it works, why don't you give it a try? You'll love stamping your images exactly where you want them!
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
#101049
$11.95
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Hi All! Have I got a tutorial for you!
I recently made a name frame for a client and wanted to use the stamp set "Defining Alphabet" which has now retired. I like the font, especially for a child's name, however, I wanted to use both the capital and lower case letters. While I could just ink the letter I wanted, I decided to cut them apart and convert them to clear mount stamps. If this is something you've been wondering about, keep reading. I think I can help take some of the sticky frustration out of it for you and make it a much more pleasant task. The first time I tried this, I got frustrated because my scissors kept getting gunked up from the adhesive and I would have to stop and clean them often. I put my thinking cap on and this is what I came up with. It worked well if I do say so myself.
The tools and products you'll need are as follows: Clear Mount Cling Foam #124236, Craft and Rubber Scissors #103179, Baby Powder, A Brush, Versamark Ink Pad #102283.
First, peel off the rubber portion of the stamp. Leave the foam behind on the wood block. You don't need this any more as you'll be putting the rubber on the cling mount foam.
Once you've peeled off all of the rubber that you're mounting, peel back a bit of the white portion of the Clear Mount Cling Foam sheet to expose the sticky side. Place the rubber on it, placing them as close as possible so you don't waste any. Leave the other side of the Cling Foam on the sheet.
Next, sprinkle some baby powder on a surface and pick up the powder with a brush.
Brush the powder over the sticky parts of the Clear Mount Cling Foam sheet. This will remove the adhesive properties of the sheet, making it MUCH easier to cut. If you skip this step, everything will stick together and you'll wonder why you ever wanted to try this in the first place.
Next, coat your Craft and Rubber Scissors blades with Versamark ink. This keeps the adhesive off of your scissors. At least for a while any way. If the scissors do get gunked up with adhesive, clean them off with Nail Polish Remover, Undo or Rubbing Alcohol and keep going.
Now, cut the cling foam to fit your rubber stamps. Nice and easy with no muss, no fuss.
Prior to using your newly mounted stamp, make sure you clean them so you don't get any powder particles on your ink pads.
So go ahead, unmount those stamps if you're so inclined. No need to fear it anymore. Sure hope this helps you. Please let me know in the comments section if you did or if you have any questions. You know us bloggers love it when you leave us comments!
Happy remounting!
Jeannette
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I was hanging out with a friend of mine the other day and we were stamping. Yeah, I know, imagine that! Anyway, I forgot to pack my stamp cleaner so I asked to use hers. When I did, I noticed that my ink color was off. I cleaned my stamp again and then stamped it uninked on my scrap paper. The image was a stamped in an ugly grayish red color. Has this ever happened to you?
Or, are you a baby wipe person who uses them for cleaning their stamps, only to get inky fingers and create all of that baby wipe waste in this age of green and recycling? Well, have I got good news for you! All you need is a little lesson on the proper way to clean your stamps!
First, you need a good cleaning pad, such as the Stampin' Scrub by Stampin Up.
102642 $16.95
This wonderful tool makes it easy to clean ink from stamps. It's the cheapest washer and dryer you'll ever buy! It houses 2 removable black scrubbing pads that are large enough to clean even the large sized background stamps. It measures approximately 7-1/2" x 6-5/8" x 1/2" so it is very portable. The case is made of heavy-duty polycarbonate or Cyrolite and has the exclusive Stampin’ Up! logo on it. You can even get replaceable pads. (These come in handy when you are working on a big project and don't want to stop to clean your stamp scrub - and for lazy people like me. Hey, when I'm in the zone, I'm IN it!)
102642 101230 $9.95
To use, lightly spray one pad with our Stampin’ Mist and leave the other one dry. (hence washer and dryer for your stamps) For best results,and this is key, do not oversaturate the pad. Scrub your stamp on the damp pad, then rub it on the dry pad to remove any leftover ink and moisture. Now you’re ready to either change colors or to put your stamps away.
Clean your pads regularly to avoid mixing ink colors. Cleaning the removable pads is a snap—just pop out the black pads, rinse them out and allow them to air dry. If they are really dirty, put a bit of dish detergent on them, rub them together, rinse well, then let them air dry. A hairdryer works great too if you're in a hurry.
FYI - The case is not leak-proof. I recommend that you lightly dampen the pads with the Stampin’ Mist to avoid oversaturation, excess spattering when scrubbing the stamps (and making some ugly splatters on your wood stamps), and leaking when transporting the closed case.
Tip: Rinse the pads in clear water and air dry before your first use to remove filaments left from manufacturing process. You don't want to get those in your ink pads. For best results, use a paper towel or a dry cloth to soak up water after rinsing.
Do not place in dishwasher.
An added bonus - Two symbols are embossed on the inside of the trays. An umbrella symbol on the top tray indicates the dry tray; three raindrops on the bottom tray indicate the wet tray. Gotta love Stampin Up. They think of everything!
Now for the Stampin Mist. It cleans all types of ink from rubber while conditioning it at the same time. Please note that there is NO alcohol in it which will dry out your stamps. Think of an old dried up rubber band. That's what alcohol will do. Yikes! The Stampin Mist comes in 2 oz. non-aerosol spray bottle and there is also an 8 oz refill available.
102394 $4.50 101022 $9.50
So, there you have it. Save the baby wipes for the babies, and clean your cleaning pads. Your colors will be brighter and you'll have that work of art be brilliant!
If you're interested in ordering these wonderful tools that should be in every stamper's stash, simply click here to go to my online store. It's always open and ready to serve you!
Happy Stampin!
Jeannette
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I'm starting a new feature. It's called "Just Ask Jeannette".
I've gotten some questions about stamping, scrapbooking and the Definately Decorative line so I decided to answer them for you here.
This week's Question:
When I ink up a stamp and stamp it, the image comes out blotchy. Why does this happen and what can I do to prevent it from happening?
ACK! Just look at that blotched image!
Answer:
This happens when you are using a solid image stamp. That's where a lot of the image is going to be inked. It usually happens when you are using a relatively new stamp or one that hasn't been conditioned.
To condition your stamp, basically what you want to do is give the rubber some tooth or a surface that will grip the ink when applied. To do this, take your sanding block or superfine sandpaper and gently sand the surface of the stamp. Sand it in different directions. This will remove the shiny smooth surface.
Make sure to blow off the rubber dust and clean your stamp with your Stampin Mist and Scrub, then ink up your stamp. Remember to tap your stamp in the ink like you're knocking on a door. Tap, tap, tap. This will give you the best coverage. No need to push the stamp hard into the ink pad.
Now stamp your image. Much better than before! Click on the photos to get a closer look.
As you can see, the conditioned stamp makes a much better image. Clean and perfect!
Do you have a question you need answered? Send it to me at StampsNWhatnot@aol.com. I'll do my best to get you your answer.
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