Subtle background stamping
Rubber stamps, as well as their acrylic and foam counterparts, are very useful for scrapbooking. No longer limited to your librarian making sure you knew when the latest Nancy Drew was due back, stamps give you the ability to really personalize your pages and create one-of-a-kind layouts. They are a fairly hefty initial investment, but can more than pay for themselves in the long run. Just be sure that you buy stamps you know you will use, and grow your collection slowly over time.
For the longest time, almost all stamps on the market were made of rubber. Foam stamps can also be use for scrapbooking, though their images are less detailed and the edges less defined. Foam alphabet stamps are popular for titles and captions.
Clear acrylic stamps are a growing trend in scrapbooking. Their transparency allows you to precisely position them exactly where you want the images to appear. Acrylic stamps can be just as detailed as rubber stamps.
You can buy either mounted or unmounted stamps, though unmounted is cheaper. A stamp is "mounted" if it is sold already glued to a handle, usually made of wood, and is ready to be inked and stamped. More and more, stamps are sold - either individually or in sheets - unmounted. To use unmounted stamps, you must first temporarily attach it to a handle of some sort, most often a clear acrylic block. You may also need to adhere the stamp to a layer of foam or other cushioniong before you stick it to the handle, to make sure the image stamps evenly.
If you buy unmounted stamps in a sheet, you will need to cut them apart in order to mount and use them. Whether you first adhere them to foam or not, you will need a pair of good, sharp scissors. This is not the place to break out your everyday kitchen scissors (you know, the ones you use for everything from cutting a piece of twine to cutting open the tape from packages). Instead, you should really consider investing in a pair of scissors meant for cutting rubber. I use and recommend Kai scissors, available from many stamp vendors.
If your unmounted stamps don't come in some sort of storage system, you might consider just buying empty CD cases (available at Wal-Mart, among other places). This is a compact, portable solution that still lets you see what is inside. Mounted and foam stamps are, of course, bulkier and more of a challenge to store.
If you purchase unmounted stamps, you will also need to purchase an assortment of handles or blocks to use for stamping. The stamp company you purchase from might sell blocks, or you can get them at many local or online scrapbooking and stamping stores. Ideally, you want a block that is large enough for the entire stamp to fit on it, but no bigger than that. If your block is too big, you run the risk of wobbling it when you ink it or stamp with it, and then getting ink smudges on your paper where you don't want them to be.
The sizes you need will largely depend on the sizes and styles of stamps you purchase. The sizes I use most are squares that are 2" and 1", and a rectangle that is 2"x1". Obviously, the larger the stamp, the larger handle you will need.
It is important to keep your stamps clean. For this, you will need some sort of scrubber. Stamp scrubbers are usually plastic trays (often with lids) that have a kind of soft bristly material you can use for scrubbing the ink off of the stamp. I prefer to use a double scrubber - one is a wet side, the other a dry side. Thus, I can swipe my stamp on the wet side, then on the dry side to immediately store it.
To use a scrubber, you need some way to make it wet. Many stamp manufacturers sell a cleaning solution that comes in a spray bottle, or you can just use plain water. Do not use alcohol to clean your stamps, as this will dry them out and damage them. When you are ready to clean your stamp, just spritz the scrubber a few times with the cleaning solution, swipe the stamp image back and forth on the scrubber a few times, then swipe it on the dry side (if you have a double scrubber) or set it aside to air dry. Do not use a dish towel or other cloth to dry the stamp, as that will leave behind lint that will show up in your stamped images later.
If you don't have a scrubber, you can use unscented, unlotioned, non-alcoholic baby wipes to clean your stamps. Alternatively, you can keep a damp washcloth handy to clean the stamps. Just remember that it is harder to get into the grooves of a stamp with these alternatives, especially with a really detailed, intricate stamp.
Whatever cleaning method you prefer, you should clean your stamps after each use to alleviate staining.
Stamps should be stored away from direct sunlight and excessive heat. Either of these could damage the acrylic or rubber.
In next week's lesson, I'll discuss the different types of ink and when to use each. For this week, just assume that you will need an inkpad to stamp. You will also need (of course) a stamp, and some paper or cardstock to stamp on.
It is a common misconception that you need to press your stamp down onto the inkpad hard in order to load it up. In fact, all you need to do is "pounce" it onto the inkpad a few times with medium, even pressure to get the image completely inked. I highly, highly, highly recommend that you "stamp off" your stamps a few times before you use them on your actual work. Stamping off means to test-stamp the image on scrap paper. Not only does this help you know that your image is completely inked, but stamps will make clearer, better images the more they are used and often need to be "broken in" for them to work properly.
Make sure you are working on a solid, flat workspace. Ink up your stamp, then place it over your paper. Apply even downward pressure to the middle of the stamp (no rocking) to set the image onto the paper, then lift the stamp away. That's really all there is to it!
Stamps can be used in a variety of ways in scrapbooking. You can use stamps to make custom patterned paper or cardstock, for example. Following are two examples of how I used stamps to create a unique background paper - one subtle with ink only a shade or two darker than the cardstock, and one much bolder with ink a contrasting color. Each is used for a different effect.
Subtle background stamping
Bold background stamping
You can also use stamps to create your own page borders or photo frames, as with these examples.
Stamps are very useful for making accent blocks, in the same way you might use stickers. Here are some layouts in which I used stamped accent blocks to accentuate a page.
Alphabet stamps are incredibly important, and so will get their own section in a few weeks. Other ways to use stamps on layouts are: (1) impress wax or clay to make tiles or seals, (2) use shrink plastic to make your own charms, (3) embellish ribbons, or (4) create embossed images on borders, frames, backgrounds, or accent pieces. Embossing will be covered in greater depth in 2 weeks.
Go shopping! Find some stamps you love. Get a scrubber, and at least one dye inkpad (black is a safe choice). Use your purchases on at least one layout.
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