Hand-Penned Petals Sympathy Cards

I am always sad when I have to mail out a sympathy card to someone. I created a couple of cards to have in my stash ready to go. These cards are so simple and beautiful if you changed the sentiment out they could easily be a birthday or thinking of you card instead.

I wanted to dress up this already gorgeous DSP by just adding the large floral image from the Hand-Penned Petals stamp set. Let me know which version you like more.

Supplies

1 - 8 1/2"x 11" sheet of Pink cardstock

1 - 5 1/4" x 4" piece of DSP

1 - 3 1/2"x 3/4" piece of Basic White cardstock

Hand-Penned Petals stamp set

Heal Your Heart stamp set

Memento Black ink

Versamark Ink

Embossing Powder

Heat Gun

Banner Punch (optional)

Stamparatus

Instructions

Take the 8 1/2"x11" sheet of cardstock cut it down to 8 1/2"x5 1/2" and score that at 4 1/4" on the long side.

I then took the piece of DSP and stamped the largest floral image from the hand-Penned Petals stamp set in Versamark ink in the center of the DSP. I highly recommend using a stamp positioning tool like the Stamparatus, this will allow you to re-stamp the image if it doesn't come out perfectly the first time ensuring a nice solid image for heat embossing. I did one card with clear embossing powder and the other with white embossing powder but you can choose whatever color matches the best. I generously poured the embossing powder over the image making sure I had covered the Versamark ink completely. You can do this over a scrap piece of paper or coffee filter make sure to dump the extra embossing powder back into the container and put the lid back on (you don't want it to go flying all over when you turn on the heat gun). You'll want to let the heat gun heat up for 5-10 seconds before you start blasting the paper. Hold the heat gun about 6-10 inches away from the paper and keep it moving over the image you are embossing. When the powder goes from grainy to smooth and shiny you're done embossing the image.

When I had finished heat embossing the image I adhered the DSP to the card front. I then took the strip of Basic White cardstock and stamped a sentiment from the Heal Your Heart stamp set in Memento Black ink. I then used my Tailored Tag punch to cut the bottom in to a banner end. You can use the Banner Pick a Punch or do it by hand with a pair of scissors.

I then adhered that strip to the front of the card. I kept it closer to the left side of the card. I really wanted to show off the heat embossed flowers.

Again let me know in the comments what version of the card do you like best the clear embossed or white embossed one?

Happy Paper Crafting! 

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Batch Cardmaking

Sometimes I create a design that I absolutely love and I just want to recreate it over and over and over again. In the card making world we call this batch card making and this is a really nice system to implement if you send a lot of cards but don't always have the time to sit down and create a card each time.

For this method of card making you can use a design that you come up with yourself or you can find a One Sheet Wonder or like a couple of weeks ago I used a Sheetload of Cards template. Now with the last two ideas the template can yield quite a few cards and sometimes the pieces for each card can end up strewn across your desk, the floor and sometimes even your chair. What I like to do  to keep all the pieces contained are put them inside the card base.

For example I will cut all the pieces I need, I might even stamp on the pieces as well but I always start with my card bases. I cut, score and fold each base and then gently slide each piece of cardstock or DSP into the card base followed by my sentiment piece and any other diecut pieces I might need. If you like to store your cards and envelopes together then you can slide each piece into the envelope.

This way allows you to make sure you have all the correct pieces you need and contains them so they aren't floating around your desk.

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Biggest Wish Masculine Birthday Card

We all need Birthday cards for those special guys in our lives and in honor of my Dad who doesn't mind having a glass of Forty Creek Whiskey mixed with a coke on a Friday evening I created this card. His Birthday was this week and this is the card I made for him.

Supplies

1 - 8 1/2"x 11" sheet of Grey cardstock

1 - 5 1/4"x 4" piece of Basic White cardstock

1 - 3/4"x 5 1/2" piece of Sahara Sand DSP

Scrap Basic White cardstock

Whiskey Business stamp set

Biggest Wish stamp set

Memento Black ink

Instructions

Take the 8 1/2"x11" sheet of cardstock cut it down to 8 1/2"x5 1/2" and score that at 4 1/4" on the long side.

I then took the piece of Basic White carstock and the Biggest Wish stamp set and stamped the block letter versions of happy and birthday. Using a tool like the Stamparatus allows you to line these words up and stamp them without errors.

I then took the scrap piece of Basic White and stamped the decanter and whiskey glass form the Whiskey Business stamp set in Memento Black ink. I then fussy cut the images out.

I then adhered the piece of Basic White cardstock to the card front. I then layered the strip of DSP to the left side of the card leaving about an 1/8" front the edge of the white cardstock layer. I then adhered the stamped images to the front of the card.

You can always use dimensionals to adhere these pieces but I chose to adhere them flat to the card front.

You could always trade out the DSP strip for some baker's twine wrapped around the card. And the Happy Birthday can always be customized to the persons favourite colours.

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Truly Tailored Masculine Birthday Card

Sometimes to keep a card looking and feeling masculine the best thing you can do is keep it simple. I kept this card very simple with very few elements.

Supplies

1 - 8 1/2"x11" sheet of Night of Navy cardstock

1 - 5 1/4"x 4" piece of Wood Grain DSP

1 - 5 1/4"x 2" piece of Night of Navy cardstock

1 - 3"x 2 1/2" piece of Basic White cardstock

Wrapped in Texture embossing folder

Truly Tailored stamp set

Memento Black ink

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

Instructions

Take the 8 1/2"x11" sheet of cardstock cut it down to 8 1/2"x5 1/2" and score that at 4 1/4" on the long side. Adhere the DSP to the front of the card.

Stamp the sentiment in Memento Black ink on the piece of Basic White cardstock.

Then take the strip of Night of Navy cardstock and run it through your Stampin' Cut &  Emboss machine. I chose the Wrapped in Texture embossing folder because I felt that it had a more masculine feel to the texture.

Adhere the strip of cardstock to the left side of the card front leaving about 1/4" on the left side. Then adhere the sentiment to the front of the card.

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Stamping Basics - Pt. 6

Last week I took a break from my Tuesday posts but today I am back with another post in the Stamping Basics series. When I started making cards I had a really hard time remembering all the measurements for my card layers. Over time I have managed to memorize the sizes but sometimes I want layering pieces that are slightly smaller or bigger than normal. I solved my problem by making templates.

Anytime you sit down to start crafting you will probably be dealing with 8 1/2"x11" cardstock and either 6"x6" or 12"x12" pattern paper. Sometimes it is hard to know how to cut this paper. In my very first post in this series I talked about how to cut your cardstock for card bases. You can check it out here.

Now I actually bought Kylie Bertucci's card template pdf file. This was my jumping off point. If you want to purchase her templates you can do so here. Now there are quite a few layering pieces in her file that I don't use, but that doesn't mean I won't use them someday.

Since making my templates I have added quite a few of my own sizes to it. If you want to make your own templates you will need some cardstock. You can make your templates rainbow or monochromatic, or you can even dig out that colour you never use.Next you're going to need to label them so you can remember what size it is. I just wrote on sticky notes and stuck it to each piece of cardstock. But if you have a label maker this would be a great time to pull it out.

If you are staring out the only templates you really need are your card bases, one of each. The most traditional layering size - 4"x5 1/4", I would also cut 3"x4", 3 1/4"x4 1/4", 3 1/2"x 4 3/4", 3 3/4"x5", 5 1/4"x 2". I like to keep all of my templates together on a binder ring that I hang on my ink pad holder.

If you make these templates when you are designing a card you can lay it out and decide what size you want your paper to be before you cut into your gorgeous DSP. Doing this will also help you remember the measurements you use the most.

If you have been crafting for a while you may have already done something like this. Let me know in the comments below what are your go to layering sizes?

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Thankful Thoughts Square Card

I had a piece of square DSP leftover and I was trying to decide what to do with it and I thought what better to do with it than make a square card! I enjoy creating cards outside of the standard size and I always feel like they can be on the simpler side. I hope this inspires you to create other sizes of cards.

Supplies

1 - 8 1/2"x 11" sheet of Basic White cardstock

1 - 3 3/4"x 3 3/4" piece of DSP

Scrap piece of Basic White cardstock

Scrap piece of Blue cardstock

Forever Greenery Gold Trim

Thankful Thoughts stamp set

Memento Black ink

Layering Circles dies

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

Instructions

Take the sheet of Basic White cardstock and cut it down to 4"x 8", then score it at 4" on the long side. I then adhered the DSP to the front of the card.

I then found the 2" circle die from the Layering Circle dies and cut it out of the Basic White cardstock. You can always stamp the image or sentiment before you die cut it. But I chose to stamp it after I die cut and I chose a sentiment from the Thankful Thoughts stamp set and I used Memento Black ink to stamp it.

I then found the coordinating scallop circle die. I didn't want a lot of scallop showing so I chose the one that fit the closest to the circle I cut out. I then die cut it out of the scrap piece of Blue cardstock. I then adhered the the white circle on top of the blue scallop circle.

I then placed Stampin' Dimensionals on the back of the circles. I cut a length of gold trim and wrapped it so that the loops popped out from behind the circles on both the top and bottom. I then adhered that piece to the bottom left corner of the card front.

Step It Up

Instead of making a ribbon nest behind your sentiment you could run a strip of ribbon behind the sentiment but wrap it around the piece of DSP.

Some enamel dots or pearls would also be a cute addition to this card.

Let me know what you think of this card in the comments and let me know what you would like to see next.

Happy Paper Crafting! 

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Itty Bitty Birthdays Masculine Birthday Card

I wanted to take a very neutral coloured card and add a simple splash of colour. Because of the tones I used I wanted to keep my colours on the more muted side. I was thrilled with the out come. I think I am going to have to make a few more.

 Supplies

1 - 8 1/2"x 11" sheet of Basic Black cardstock

1 - 5 1/4"x 4" piece of Well Suited DSP

Scrap Basic White cardstock

Season Like Christmas stamp set (retired)

Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set (retired)

Soft Succulent ink

Evening Evergreen ink

Soft Suede ink

Sahara Sand ink

Memento Black ink

Ribbon

Tailored Tag punch

 

Instructions

Then take the 8 1/2"x11" sheet of Basic Black cardstock and cut it down to 4 1/4"x11" and score it at 5 1/2" along the long side.

I just used some ribbon I had in my stash but you can match in to the ink colours if you would like. I wrapped the ribbon around the DSP about 1 1/4" from the bottom and then adhered that to the card base.

I then started to stamp the tree from the Season Like Christmas stamp set. I began with the bottom layer of the tree in Soft Succulent. I layered the smaller layer on top with Evening Evergreen. I then stamped the trunk in the Soft Suede and the ground in Sahara Sand.

I then stamped the sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays in Memento Black and punched it out with my Tailored Tag punch.

I then fussy cut the tree and adhered it to the fron tof the card. I then used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhered the sentiment piece.

 

When using 2 step stamp sets like the Season Like Christmas stamp set using a stamp positioning tool is very convenient. you can line each layer up before inking the stamp ensuring you have in placed as closely as possible.

 

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Whiskey Business Father's Day Card

I've really enjoyed playing with the Whiskey Business stamp set there is so much you can do with it but today I am just using it straight up for a fun Father's Day card.

 Supplies

1 - 8 1/2"x 11" sheet of Basic Black cardstock

1 - 5 3/8"x 4 1/8" piece of Basic Black cardstock

1 - 5 1/4"x 4" piece of DSP

Scrap Basic White cardstock

Whiskey Business stamp set

Memento Black ink

 Tailored Tag punch

Instructions

Take the 8 1/2"x11" sheet of cardstock cut it down to 8 1/2"x5 1/2" and score that at 4 1/4" on the long side.

I started by taking the piece of DSP and cutting in half at 2". I then took one of the 2" strips and cut it at 2" again. so you should have a 5 1/4"x2" piece, a 2" square and a 3 1/4"x2" piece. I find that this technique works best if you use a wood grain or brick pattern paper. But you can also use multiple pieces of DSP and mix and match them for a fun background.

I wanted didn't want the pieces all going the same way, so I started by laying them out the so that they fit together the way they would have looked before I cut them. I then took the 2" square and rotated it 90°. I then took the 3 1/4"x 2" piece and rotated it 180°. I then adhered them to the piece of Basic Black cardstock, I did not leave any space in between the DSP pieces but there should be a 1/16" border all the way around.

I then stamped on decanter and one whiskey glass in Meemento Black on Basic White cardstock and then fussy cut the images.

I wanted the card to have a big bold Father's Day sentiment so I typed it out and printed it out. I have a blog post explaining how I do this here. I just used the Tailored Tag punch to cut the banner edge but if you have a banner punch you can use that or just cut it by hand.

I adhered the images and the sentiment to the DSP layer. I wanted to add some dimension so I used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the panel to the front of the card.

Let me know what you think of this card in the comments below.

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Giggle Greetings Masculine Birthday Card

Last week I shared that for the month of June I am sharing masculine themed cards. I'll admit coming up with cards for this month has been slightly challenging that's why I was so happy this card came together so easily.

I was thinking about my Dad and some of the things he's into, well it didn't take me long to land on dad jokes. I can't scroll through Facebook without rolling my eyes at least once because he has shared an awful joke that is only worthy of the greatest of dads. That was when I remember a stamp set I had been gifted and thought "this is perfect".

Supplies

1 - 8 1/2"x 11" sheet of Basic White cardstock

1 - 5 1/4"x 4" piece of Smoky Slate cardstock

1 - 3"x 3 3/4" piece of Well Suited DSP

1 - 2 1/2"x 4" piece of Basic White cardstock

Giggle Greetings stamp set (retired)

Biggest Wish stamp set

Pacific Point ink

Memento Black ink

Stamparatus

Instructions

Take the 8 1/2"x11" sheet of Basic White cardstock cut it down to 8 1/2"x5 1/2" and score that at 4 1/4" on the long side. I went right ahead and adhered the piece of Smoky Slate cardstock to the card front.

I then took the piece of Basic White cardstock and the cheese stamp from Giggle Greetings and stamped it along the bottom of the piece of cardstock in Memento Black. I used the Stamparatus for this just so I could ensure everything was lined up the way I wanted before I stamped it. I then stamped the 'happy' from the Biggest Wish stamp set in Pacific Point ink. I then layered the birthday script over top and stamped it in Memento Black ink.

I then adhered the white piece to the DSP. and then I adhered it to the front of the card. You can play around with how little or how much of the DSP you want showing. I chose the plaid pattern and was able to use the lines as reference for lining up my piece of white.

Is your husband or father into dad jokes? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Stamping Basics - Pt. 5

For the last few weeks I have talked about supplies you need for card making and today I am want to highlight some of the tools that are essential to card making as well as some awesome additional items.

First off if you don't already have one you will need a Paper Trimmer. This tool allows you to get nice, clean, straight cuts on your paper. They often have grid lines and measurements with an extendable ruler arm that help you to cut your paper to certain measurements. When looking at paper trimmers to buy I highly recommend looking for one that has a scoring blade in addition to the cutting blade. This will allow you to create some fun 3D projects without requiring a scoring board. Also look for ones with an extra wide cutting base (6 1/4"). This will allow you to make all of your standard cuts without needed the arm.

Paper Snips or Scissors are a must have. Look for scissors that are on the smaller side because they are more ideal for "fussy cutting" (cutting out stamped images). Even if you don't like "fussy cutting" you'll need a pair of good sharp scissors for cutting ribbon, trimming paper or even to help place rhinestones.

Adhesive is a requirement! Without this you wont be able to assemble those gorgeous cards or scrapbook pages of your kids or grand-kids. Now there are quite a few options to choose from and they all have a purpose but when your starting out you can go with your personal preference. Liquid Adhesive is great for gluing die cuts with really fine details but lots of people use it for everything because it allows them time to side the pieces into place and make sure its straight. Adhesive Runners also referred to as tape runners are a double-sided permanent adhesive. Often times you can find ones that are refillable. This adhesive unlike liquid glue doesn't allow for slide time. Once you have laid it down typically it's there to stay. My favourite is Dimensionals! These little foam dots give your cards some added dimension with is just so fun. Lastly is Glue Dots these are amazing for adhering those little embellishments such as buttons or a ribbon knot.

Acrylic Blocks are the foundation for you cling and photopolymer stamps. The stamps will just stick to the block when you want to stamp and they peel off perfectly when your done.

My first optional recommended tool is the Bone Folder whether you score your paper before you fold it or not this tool will help to ensure you have nice crisp folds on your cards which will help it to lay flat.

If you like to make batches of card I would recommend a Stamp Positioning Tool like the Stamparatus or MISTI. These tool allow you to line up your stamps before you stamp and make it easy if you need to stamp the same sentiment or image 10 times.

Some crafters really enjoy making 3D projects like bags and boxes and if you like that kinda stuff I would recommend a Scoring Board. I have one just for scoring my card bases and think its the greatest tool out there but I would suggest if you are looking for one to find one that will score down to the 1/16". I have a very old one that only allows me to score every 1/2" which has prevented me from creating some of the projects I wanted.

Lastly if you have been crafting for a while and a re looking to step up your card and are willing to make a larger investment into your hobby, a Die Cutting Machine is an amazing investment. You will have to buy dies and embossing folders to go with this machine but trust me when I say it is worth it. I have had so much fun creating card with embossed (textured) paper and die cut images. Lots of company's now a days make dies that coordinate with a stamp set eliminating the need for fussy cutting!

I hope this helps you to get started with crafting. Have you been crafting for a while? What are some of your must have tools? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

A Sheetload of Masculine Cards

There is a youtuber that I have been following for a while. Her channel is called Call Me {Crafty} Al and she does something super cool every month. She calls it a Sheetload of Cards. The idea behind a Sheetload of Cards is to get the most out of your paper. So if you are familiar with the concept of a One Sheet Wonder it is similar. Each Sheetload can yield you anywhere from 6-12 cards. For me I love this because I love making batches of cards. Here is the link to her video where she shares the cards she made and tells you how you can download her cutting templates. I also wanted to include her process video where she shows you how she made the cards. For this card I used the November 2019 templates and was in love with the end result.

When all was said and done I had two cards of each layout and was so glad I was able to add some masculine cards to my card stash. Here are close ups of all the cards. For the Father's Day cards I typed out the sentiments and printed them out on cardstock for all the details check out the blog post here.

 Supplies

 1 - 8 1/2"x11" sheet of Basic White cardstock

1 - 5 1/4"x 4" piece of Well Suited DSP

1 - 3 3/4"x 2 1/4" piece of Well Suited DSP

1 - 4"x 2 1/2" piece of Night of Navy cardstock

1 - 3 1/2"x 3/4" piece of Basic White cardstock

Scrap Basic White cardstock

The Open Sea stamp set (retired)

Whiskey Business stamp set

Memento Black ink

Pacific Point ink

Instructions

Then take the 8 1/2"x11" sheet of Basic White cardstock and cut it down to 4 1/4"x11" and score it at 5 1/2" along the long side.

I then adhered the 5 1/4"x4" piece of Well Suited DSP to the front of the card. I then took the smaller piece of DSP and adhered it to the piece of Night of Navy cardstock. You will then take this piece and cut 1 1/4" off the right side.

I then took the scrap piece of Basic White and stamped the ship from The Open Sea stamp set in Memento Black. I took the anchor from the same stamp set and stamped it in Pacific Point. I wanted to add more variety to the cards which is why I chose two different images. I then fussy cut the images out.

I then took the piece of layered DSP and cardstock and adhered it to the front of the card leaving about 1/2" from the bottom of the DSP layer. The smaller piece will go on the left with the wider piece on the right. Make sure you line them up right against the edge of the card base.

I then stamped the birthday sentiment from Whiskey Business on the thin strip of Basic White cardstock. Depending on the image you are putting on the card you will want to decide if it will be behind the sentiment or in front of it. Based on this decision you'll adhere them in that order.

I really loved the simplicity of this design and while I used two different sheets of DSP you could always just cut the DSP pieces from the same sheet and use the front and back. Unfortunately I felt that the patterns on the back side of the DSP were going to be two busy to work with everything.

I wanted to share another set of cards I recently made using the same layout to show you the versatility of this layout.

For this set of cards I chose to make them Anniversary themed. In order to accommodate the sentiment I had to cut that piece slightly larger and I felt it still looked really nice. And as you can see I decided to add some Gold Enamel dots instead of a stamped image.

I hope you'll go check out Call Me {Crafty} Al and see some of the other sheetload layouts she has.

Happy Paper Crafting! 

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Whiskey Business DIY DSP Father's Day Card

Hands up, who else has trouble coming up with masculine cards for the men in your life? 🙋 Well I do and it is always so frustrating so I have decided that for the month of June I will feature masculine themed cards. I hope these cards inspire you and make it a little bit easier for you to make cards to send to your dads, husbands, brothers, brother-in-laws, father-in-laws, sons and grandfathers. You might still be thinking that Father's Day is a way off but we are finally into June which means it really isn't that far away. I created this card using my absolute favourite masculine stamp set. This stamp set has been in the catalogue for a year already but I was so happy to see it carry over.

Supplies

1 - 8 1/2"x 11" sheet of Kraft cardstock

1 - 4"x 5 1/4" piece of Kraft cardstock

1 - 3"x 1/2" piece of Basic White cardstock

1 - 3 1/4"x 3/4" piece of  Soft Suede DSP

Whiskey Business stamp set

Soft Suede ink

Baker's Twine or Burlap Twine

Instructions

Take the 8 1/2"x11" sheet of cardstock cut it down to 8 1/2"x5 1/2" and score that at 4 1/4" on the long side.

I then took the piece of Kraft cardstock and with the whiskey glass stamp and the soft suede ink I created my own DSP. I just randomly stamped the whiskey glass making sure to turn my stamp to create some more interest in the background. I stamped starting in the bottom left corner and I worked my way to the top right corner. This helped me to stay methodical in my stamping.

I then took the piece of Basic White and stamped the sentiment in Soft Suede. I also printed out the 'Happy Father's Day' sentiment on cardstock and cut it down to the size I wanted. This is optional and the card would look just as amazing without.

I then adhered the sentiment strip to the DSP and I cut about 6" of twine and just folded it in half adhereing it to the back of the DSP piece with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I then adhered the piece of Kraft cardstock that I stamped on to the f5ront of the card. I then used Stampin' Dimensionals to finish adhereing the DSP and Sentiment piece to the front of the card.

This is such a simple and easy card to create. You could easily change it up for Birthday or Thinking of You. In this case I used the Whiskey Business stamp set but you could do the same thing with the anchor or rope stamps from the Sailing Home stamp set (pg. 51) or the bow tie stamps from the Handsomely Suited stamp set (pg. 50). Another option if your guys are more outdoorsy the lantern or tent stamps from the Campology stamp set (pg.53) would also make a great background.

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*

Stamping Basics - Pt. 4

This by far is one of the most important posts in the series. You can't make cards without stamps! There are so many different company's that make and sell stamps it is so easy to find stamps that appeal to you and fit into your style of crafting.

There are three different types of stamps that you can buy and they are Wood-Mount Rubber stamps, Cling-Mount Rubber stamps and Photopolymer stamps.

The Wood-Mount stamps are becoming less and less popular. These stamps are permanently adhered to a durable wood block, meaning it takes more room to store them whether you have them in a drawer, clam shell cases or the wide DVD style cases. This is the first year Stampin' Up! has not offered any wood-mount stamps. I don't know of any other big companies offering them but I do know that you can go Michaels and they still have a selection of wood-mount stamps those that section is shrinking. Lots of people are actually unmounting there wood-mount stamps converting them to cling-mount stamps, Stampin' Up! offers all the supplies necessary to make this change.

Next up we have the Cling-Mount rubber stamps also referred to as Red Rubber stamps by some in the crafting world. These stamps must be used with clear acrylic blocks or a stamp positioning tool. The acrylic blocks are reusable so you really only need a few different sizes. These stamps are easy to clean and can actually be washed in soap and water if needed. They store perfectly in a standard DVD style case from Stampin' Up! making them easier to store because they don't take up as much room as a wood-mount stamp set.

Lastly we have Photopolymer stamps and I really love them because these stamps are clear! These stamps use the acrylic blocks same as the cling-mount. But because they are clear you can very easily line up your stamps before you stamp. Most 2-step stamps will come in photopolymer. These stamps sets also store in the DVD style cases from Stampin' Up!. The Photopolymer stamps are stickier than the cling-mount stamps and over time with a lot of use may loose that sticky I wrote a blog post here telling you how to make your stamps sticky again.

Which brings me to cleaning you stamps. Some people don't clean they're stamps they feel that they stamp better that way. I do not hold to this view rather I have the Stampin' Up! shammy for cleaning my stamps and love it because all it do is wet the cloth and wipe my stamps on it. For most stamps you can use some dish soap and water to clean them. But other options for cleaning your stamps include buying a scrub pad and special stamp cleaner spray. If you use Stazon ink I do recommend that you get the special Stazon cleaner because the Stazon ink will not come off with soap and water.

Happy Paper Crafting!  

*Contact me directly to place an order or search for Blaze Tully under 'Find a Demonstrator' to shop under me on the Stampin' Up Website.*