stamps

After you stamp your image with whatever ink you want the outline to be (I usually use black, but it depends on what I am stamping) then it becomes just like a coloring book picture. You can color it with brush markers, watercolor pencils and use a damp brush to make it look like water color, regular colored pencils, or chalk it (i use the pointy eye make up applicators that are like q-tips). Pretty much anything goes! Have fun with your new venture...ever since I switched to acrylic stamps it is difficult for me to use the woodies...I really like seeing where the image is going on the page! I have mostly Close to my heart stamps, (a direct sales company I am a rep for) but I have used some of the alphabet stamps from wal-mart, and they work just fine!

Arleen

Those pictures that show the stamps all colored are somewhat misleading.

Usually you stamp with one color of ink. Then, like with a coloring book, fill in with colored pencils, markers, chalk, watercolor (adventurous), etc. Or don't color it. Some folks will use colored markers on the stamp itself to put different colors on different raised areas -- then just before stamping, breathe on it to put back a bit of moisture, then stamp. Results will widely vary. :-) Experiment widely.

I personally like to use chalk, and don't get obsessive about staying within the lines. I stamp in grey or brown rather than black ... I just like that effect. I rarely use bright colors unless my stamp has large solid raised areas rather than pure outline.

There are also fine-tip water pens that you can use to blend color pencil areas to even out the strokes. Those work pretty well.

Then there is wet embossing. Great fun!!

Stamping is a whole craft unto itself, and you can get just as nuts (sorry, folks!) about buying supplies and trying out new techniques as scrapbooking. There is a newsgroup parallel to this one called rec.crafts.rubberstamps, but it hasn't developed the community like rec.crafts.scrapbooks has, and you mostly just see advertisements there now.

G> I was thinking about getting some stamps. I was watching the qvc special on

Muwhahaha!!! Another new stamper to enable! LOL As Gina said, stamping is a whole craft by itself, and a fun one I might add. Both Arleen and Gina have given you all the different ways to get color onto your stamped image. The one thing I might add, is if you use markers directly on your stamp, make sure they're crafting markers. Markers designed for scrapbooking are the best to use, and make sure they're water-based markers. I can tell you from experience that Crayola markers just don't like to come off of rubber stamps. LOL

I like my woodmounted stamps, but that's just my prefernce. I've learned from practice to know where my stamped image is going to end up. Maybe it's instinct? I don't know. The one suggestion I can give you about buying stamps from Wal Mart, HL, or wherever, especially if they come premounted, make sure there's not a bunch of extra rubber around the design. That extra rubber will make a 'halo' around your stamped image if you're not careful. Real bummer.

Hmmm, I only own up to one addiction which includes having to gather stamps just cause they are so pretty I might want to use them in a scrapbook or on a card. I think many a scrapbooker is also a bit of a stamper, at least in this great group. Sounds like it would be fun to find out. So look for a new post!

Well, I went to Wal-Mart first. They have redone a lot of the stores around here and taken out a lot of stuff! And replaced it with a lot of stuff too. Most of the scrapbooking stuff here now is stickers and albums with coordinating stickers (the new recipe albums/sticker sets, baby, Disney, etc...). They used to have a lot of stamps and new clear stamps. Not so anymore. But, I got an alphabet (the only one they had), scrapbook markers for stamps, binder thingy's that Kendra picked out. They didn't have the acrylic block though.

NEXT STOP: Hobby lobby. I got 2 acrylic blocks; one square for bigger stamps and a skinny rectangle. Another alphabet, different font, ink (a tray of ink that has different colors down it), ink dobbers.

THIRD: They had ballerina stickers that I was wanting. Kendra starts dance class on the 8th! I found there still another alphabet and month/day of week/numbers collection, 2 scrapbooking books from Creating Keepsakes (thick books with over 700 layouts and Ideas!! One of the books I bought only because of the picture that's on the back. It has a little boy that has a mess over his face and fingers because he's eating the nestle quick powder with his fingers. KENDRA DID THIS! I have pictures of this thank goodness!!! I couldn't believe it when I saw it. It's like it was meant to be!!! lol) And if I forgot anything, I'll post later, but I think this is pretty much what I got. I think there were some other stickers at one of the other places. Just stickers though.

All in all, I think I did pretty well.

As far as sizzix goes. I am going to get a sizzix machine for my birthday (January.. you guys may have to take up a collection for me.. I don't think I can wait that long!! lol) and for now, just check out eBay for dies and such. I'm already on the hunt for dies. I'm winning 2 so far! Although, I don't know for how long on 1 of them. I'm already at my max bid at 20.00 (it's for 4 packages of dies) due to end tomorrow I think.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you guys that I'm such an ENABLEE!

Thanks for listening to me and helping me out!

You can stamp with a permanent ink like Staz-On. Then color the parts with watercolor paint, water based markers like Marvy's, water color pencil blending with or without water, watercolor crayons, (not children's crayons) or with permanent color with pens like Zig's.

You can also color with the water based Marvy markers directly onto the stamp then huff air onto the stamp. Some say chewing a mint tic tac before huffing onto the stamp works better.

You can use the watercolor paint or crayons the same way then lightly mist with a spray bottle of water. This will give you a water color look or a smeared look. It will not be as sharp or crisp as a direct ink to paper look.

As for seeing where you stamp, after a bit of practice usually you can judge where to place the stamp. If you really need to put the image in a certain spot m they make a stamp positioner which is real easy to use.

Always clean a new stamp before using it. Some stamp companies put a light coating of oil on the rubber or grease from people handling it is on the rubber. Try the stamp out on scrap paper a few times.

Now that you got the hang of stamping, buy some embossing powder and a heat gun and try them out

Two places to look for stamps are Addicted To Rubber Stamping

and Addicted To Scrape Booking The companies are owned by the same people are great to deal with. Sign up for their newsletters so you can keep up with the sales and new products.

A picture is worth a thousand words ... so here is an example of one of my chalked stamped cards:

Gina

G> Those pictures that show the stamps all colored are somewhat misleading. >