the hybrid chick

Hey there, Chickies!  If you don’t know me, I’m Julee Tilman, the owner of Verve Stamps, and I’ve been stamping off and on for over 15 years. I just think there is something magical about picking up pretty papers, ink and a stamp set and making something all my own. So much so, that two years ago I started my own stamp company. The stamps I design are clear photopolymer, so I thought I’d share a few tips for working with clear stamps. Along the way I’ll be showing you some photos of stamped projects showing some ideas of what can be done with just a few supplies:

• one digi kit – the AWESOME new Digichick Collab… Every Life has a Story , Chapter 1
• one color of ink – Versafine Vintage Sepia
• one stamp set – Starstruck by Verve Stamps
• a few basic colors of cardstock – cream, brown and kraft
• a few embellishment – ribbon, glitter glue, brads, punches and rhinestones

My first project is a card using the paper piecing technique Carolina described in yesterday’s post.  I stamped directly on three different printed digi papers from the Every Life has a Story, Chapter 1 kit, cut out and pieced together.  I use Versafine ink a lot when I stamp on printed paper.  It’s a fast drying oil-based ink that is juicy enough to give great coverage and a dark impression, but still dries quickly and after about 5 minutes (or just a little wave of a heat gun to heat-set the color) is permanent enough to be used with alcohol based markers without bleeding.

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Clear Stamping Tip #1: Condition your clear stamps before you use them. The manufacturing process can leave a residue on the stamps that repels ink. The best way to do this is to rub gently across the surface of the stamp with a soft eraser (these are usually white). You can also just ink them up and stamp a few times on scratch paper, or scrub them with stamp cleaner. The more you use your stamps, the better they will hold ink.

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My second project is another card using stamped images as an embellishment.  I love all the fancy embellishments I see in the stores, but sometimes they just don’t fit my papers – or my budget.  So I often use stamps to make my own.  Here I stamped the swirly star from the Starstruck set on the diamond print paper, then punched out with a star punch.  I then stamped one of the shooting stars from the set on the orange paper and cut out, to layer over the larger star.  I set an eyelet at the top of the star to add some ribbon and then tied it onto my card.  To dress it up even more, you could add some Diamond Glaze to the star to give it a glossy look like many of the epoxy embellishments in the stores.  (I did this to the star accent on the Fancy Correspondence box below.)

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Clear Stamping Tip #2: Clear stamps require acrylic blocks, which are purchased separately. You can find them at most craft stores and sometimes you can even find them in the $1 bin at Michael’s or JoAnn’s. A good size to start with is a 3.5 x 2.5″ block, plus maybe a smaller square for your smaller stamps. You want the stamps to fit the block with a minimum of open space. The more space around the stamp, the more likely the stamp will wobble and your stamped image will be distorted or show double lines.  I prefer to use blocks with gridlines etched in them to guide my eye when I’m stamping.

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My third project is another card  (after all, it IS World Card Making Day! ), where I used stamps to create my own patterned paper directly on cardstock.  Be sure to stamp off the edges of your cardstock, to really finish off the random stamping look.  It’s also fun to load a couple different images onto one acrylic block to speed up the process and create your own custom backgrounds.

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Clear Stamping Tip #3: It’s all in the touch. For small or delicate images and sentiments, you need to use a lighter touch. Ink up the stamp and touch it to the page, without adding pressure to get a crisp look. (Sometimes I test this on scrap paper, to get the feel right before trying on my project.) For solid images, you’ll want to apply even pressure all across the block, to make sure that the entire image gets even transfer. Play around with it, and you’ll get the right feel.

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My fourth project is a card that showcases using just part of a stamp to create a border.  Here I took a shooting star stamp and stamped in the corners, making sure the star was off the paper, to create a unique looking border.  Next I stamped the star randomly around the sentiment, then colored with a marker and added a little Coppe Stickles glitter glue to make them shine.

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Clear Stamping Tip #4:  Some types of ink will puddle a little on clear stamps, especially with solid images and pastel inks. If you notice uneven coverage when you’re stamping, try inking your stamp with clear VersaMark before you ink it with color and then stamp. This will usually even out any puddling for a crisp image. For really large solid images, sometimes it’s necessary to put a thin foam cushion or mousepad under your paper before stamping to get full coverage.

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My next project is a simple little jar topper I made using the same supplies.  The circle shapes are cut with Nestabilities Circle dies and my Cuttlebug die cut machine, but there are a number of circle cutters out on the market.  I cut my base so it would be larger than the lid of the jar, then cut different sizes of circles for matting.  For the final circle I stamped directly on cream cardstock and then added color around the edges with a sponge and Vintage Sepia ink.  A little stamped star embellishment and some Liquid Pearls accents (pearlized liquid glue that dries to look like little pearls) on each scallop, and I had a cute little topper for a jar of caramels.

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Clear Stamping Tip #5:  One of the best things about clear stamps is being able to see exactly what you’re stamping. You can arrange several stamps on one block for a collage look, and you can even bend and curve stamps on your block to have a curved sentiment. This flexibility is great, but sometimes can make it hard to apply sentiments straight or keep a circle it’s true shape when you place it on the block. But there’s a super easy solution! Just place your stamp face down on paper (I usually use grid paper) as if you were going to stamp it, only without a block. Then just place the block on top of it, press down, and voila! – perfect shape and alignment.

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Okay, that’s a wrap for my stamping tips.  I have so much fun stamping on hybrid papers and projects.  Usually it just takes a little planning, like adding a little strip of a lighter color to a printed template, so your stamping has a “home” on the project.    I did this on the box I made  to hold my card set, using the Fancy Correspondence Box Template by Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs.  I often look in a kit’s elements for journaling cards or tags to print and incorporate some stamping into my projects.  Or a simple hand stamped tag tied to your project can really finish it off just right.  Thanks for stopping by today and happy stamping!

Other Articles by Vervegirl:

• DIY Banner Christmas Trees - November 11th, 2009
• Chipboard Magnets - May 6th, 2009
• Afternoon Take Out - April 1st, 2009