Having Rubber Stamps With Your Scrapbooking Pages Plus More

Rubber stamps are a versatile and beautiful way to add that finishing contact to scrapbook pages, cards, or any other paper project you are working on. Today's line of rubber stamps and ink pads is far distinct than what you may think of as a stamp. While traditional wood block mounted rubber stamps are nonetheless readily obtainable, there are many options that are easier to store and work with than large wood blocks. The range of inks obtainable for use in scrapbooking is better than ever as well- inks that are archival quality and acid free are affordable and easy to find in each coloration of the rainbow. Whether you are new to stamping or have used stamps on other tasks and haven't made the leap to your scrapbook pages, consider a few of the following ideas:

1. Use stamps to create journaling blocks. You can find stamps from companies such as Hero Arts that are ready-made for journaling right on your pages. keep in mind, displaying off your own handwriting is an important part of your scrapbook, and stamped journaling blocks provide neat lines for you to create on. One line to try is the "A Little Note" set by Hero Arts.

2. Stay up to the minute with date stamps. Date stamps, which can be obtained at any office store, can give you a neat way to quickly add the date to any scrapbook page. Many people love the cool, commercial look that they provide suitable on the page. If you don't like the look of the stamp, you can still use it on the back side to quickly and neatly record when the page was made or when the photographs were taken. You may also want to use the stamp on the back of photographs if they don't include a date to help you don't forget (just be sure to use a photo-safe, acid free ink).

3. Use stamps to create beautiful embossed designs. Use an embossing ink pad to stamp an image onto your project, sprinkle with embossing powder, and then heat with a heat gun to create designs that are as lovely to contact as they are to look at. This project is ideal for tasks that demand an elegant touch such as pages about marriage ceremonies and anniversary as well as other paper crafting projects. For larger projects, consider using backdrop stamps from Hero Arts or other companies that feature large surfaces with a simple pattern.

4. To create exclusive fabric accents, use rubber stamps with material paint. If you decide to use a fabric accent on your page, be sure to take measures to make it safe for scrapbooks (such as spraying with an acid-proof spray). You can also turned stamped cloth into anything from greeting cards to vacation ornaments. Try using

5. Create glittered accents. Dip your rubber stamps into a bit of liquid glue, stamp the design on a page, and add a bit of fine glitter. permit the design to dry, and then tap any excess glitter back into the container to use later. This technique is a pretty update to a traditional school project.

There are so many uses for rubber stamps, you will find that they become your most versatile scrapbooking supply. With the many specialty inks on the market, don't forget that you can also use stamps with paint, glue, chalk, or anything else you can dream up. Color your stamped designs with pens, crayons, water colours, or chalk to create colorful designs, or appreciate the straightforward outline on it's own. No matter what you decide to make, rubber stamps can help your creativity soar to new heights

Creating Holiday Gifts With Rubber Stamps

Rubber stamping is an interesting hobby that can keep you busy all year long creating masterpieces for yourself and your family. However, during the holiday season, they can really come in handy in helping you create one of a kind holiday gifts for the ones that you love. The following is a list of holiday gift ideas that you can easily create with stamps. Which will you choose to give those you love during the season?

• Personalized holiday cards. Instead of spending tons of money on the same old greeting cards, consider giving each of your family members a personalized holiday greeting card made especially for them with your stamp collection. While this may take some time and effort on your part, those you love will be amazed at the beautiful creation you have made just to tell them happy holidays!

• Framed artwork. If you have become a master of rubber stamping, consider creating framed art work from your collection of rubber stamps. Original framed artwork will cost you hundreds of dollars in your local craft store. Do it yourself by using unique stamping techniques and having the masterpiece framed when you are finished. Your loved ones will be amazed with this truly unique gift.

• One of a kind scrapbook. If you live away from relatives who do not get to see you and your family often, you can create a truly special gift for them using stamps. Choose to work on this project all throughout the year so that you are bombarded with last minute projects. Choose a beautiful scrapbook and create pages filled with memories of the previous year. Include stamping as a way to add in a special touch and make your creation exquisite. This is a great gift for grandparents and aunts and uncles.

• Wrapping paper. If you prefer to buy gifts for your family, you can still incorporate your love for rubber stamping in these gifts. Create your own wrapping paper out of the many rubber stamps that you have collected over the years. Your gift will without a doubt stand out from the rest.

Make this holiday season truly special for your loved ones by creating one of a kind holiday gifts using your rubber stamps. Personalized holiday cards and wrapping paper will be a great addition to every holiday season. Be creative and find a way to give holiday gifts that include your love for rubber stamping.

Comparing Rubber Stamps, Clear Stamps And Foam Stamps

Rubber, clear and foam stamps - what is the difference between them? Each of these is manufactured from a different material, giving each of them different properties. Knowing and understanding these properties will help ensure you achieve the best possible results for your projects.

The biggest difference between rubber or foam stamps, and clear stamps (also referred to as polymer or photo polymer) is that the clear, are see-through, allowing you to look right through the stamp and see EXACTLY where you are stamping. With rubber and foam stamps, in order to be able to stamp your image exactly where you want it, you need to use a tool called the stamp-a-ma-jig.

As you get ready to stamp with your various stamps - you'll notice that the components you need vary. For example, clear stamps are naturally sticky - all you need to use it is a clear acrylic block - the stamp will naturally cling to it. With rubber you need some kind of a mounting system. For example, with wood mount rubber stamps, the rubber is held to the wooden block with a self-adhesive foam. For unmounted stamps you need to have some means of holding the rubber image to the acrylic block - this can involve a cling foam, or some other adhesive system. With foam, you also need something to hold the stamp - generally these already come mounted to either a foam block or a clear acrylic plate.

When it actually comes to stamping - of the three types of stamps you will typically find that rubber stamps are the best for fine detail stamping. Now note that I said detail stamping. I am not referring to the stamping of small images - you can stamp VERY small images with acrylic stamps. The word "detail" refers to the fine shading lines you can see in certain realistic-looking stamp images. Polymer, being a much softer material, while you can get detail, it doesn't allow for the same kind of fine detail as with fubber stamps. Foam, doesn't really allow for detail at all. In fact, when you see foam stamps, for the most part you see solid images. You'll also notice with foam stamps that images aren't quite as crisp - rather than clearly defined edges, they'll often look a bit softer.

Another difference is in the durability of each of the different materials. rubber is by far the most durable of the materials. Taken care of properly, they will last a lifetime and even longer. With clear stamps there are a couple of things to be aware of. The first is that not all acrylic stamps are created equally. There are high and low quality acrylic stamps. Poor quality acrylic stamps will yellow and harden over time, and even lose their cling. With all acrylic stamps - including high quality acrylic stamps - you do have to take a bit more care in handling them as they can be torn or stretched, and you want to make sure you use them properly for best results.

The final difference - which in part relates to durability - is what types of color mediums you can use with your different types of stamps. While you can use all the stamps with the most common mediums, rubber stamps allow you a few more specialty techniques than the other two. For example - stamping with bleach - that is something that can safely be done with rubber, but not without damaging the other two types of stamps. Even the use of Staz On - a solvent based ink, is questionable when it comes to clear stamps. There has been some debate as to whether Staz On, or more specifically the specialty cleaner that is used to clean Staz On, can cause long term damage to your clear stamps.

So with all of this discussion about differences - does this mean that one type of stamp is better than another or that I recommend one over the other? Definitely not. Each type of stamp has its pros and cons, and each type has it's place in paper crafting. You just want to make sure that you understand the differences, and you understand how to properly use and care for each type.

Art Rubber Stamps For Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is a super fun activity that can be enjoyed by you or the entire family. It has become a popular hobby for many. There are times when you might run out of creative ideas or ingenious materials to make a scrapbook album. Ideally one uses recycled or unused products to make a really personalized and unique scrapbook. On the other hand, there are various materials available such as stickers and trimmings, glossy and printed paper, art rubber stamps are becoming more and more popular everyday among scrapbook lovers. Are you interested in this artistic and resourceful craft?

Scrapbooking has evolved into more than just an art. For those who have learned to love the craft, it's their means to relieve stress and to relax. Materials such as art rubber stamps make scrapbooking more fun. Stamps were introduced to this hobby mainly because people are running out of imaginative ideas. stamps also save a lot of time if you are itching to complete your album. You can easily find a wide array of stamps online, at stationary shops and in craft stores. Feel free to choose creative pieces that suit your personal style and taste. stamps are available in different shapes and sizes. There are mounted rubber stamps, quick rubber stamps, acrylic mounts, unmounted rubber stamps, and rubber stamps which have different images and depths. You need not worry because these stamps are very easy and simple to use.

Art rubber stamps will come in handy for those who are not particularly good in drawing or for those people who are not that proud to showcase their handwriting. Using decorative stamps will help you come up with a nice looking album wherein you can display your creative skills. So let your ideas come to life and get down stamping your album using decorative stamps. You may choose to go for any design or style that interests you - animated, simple, pictorial, plain and even embossed rubber stamps. There are stamps that are compatible with different fabrics, papers and cards to give life to anything you wish to create.

Decorative stamps are so easy to clean and maintain and offer an elegant touch to your very own album. The most popular and widely used stamps are cute animals, caricatures and shapes of hearts, chicks, figures of women and men, birds, smilies, cats, dogs, fishes, cows and many more. Do a quick search online and you will find what you are looking for easily. If you are new to scrapbooking, don't focus too much on creating a masterpiece, instead focus on having fun while doing it. You will get the hang of it pretty easily.

The good thing about decorative stamps is that you won't end up with a messy looking artwork. If you are just a beginner scrapbooker you can ask for great ideas from friends who are into scrapbooking for a long time. You need not mimic their style, choose a design that you are comfortable with, and feel free to browse countless designs online to find out what works for you.

Using Rubber Stampede Or Magenta? Regardless, Here's Ways to Store All Your Rubber Stamping Supplies

All you need to make your own personalized greeting card or scrapbook page is a rubber stamp and a few rubber stamping supplies. Sure you can personalize with your computer but is that really personal? Not for me. I love to make everything hand-made. It is the personal touch that I really like.

Some basic rubber stamping supplies that you will need are of course a rubber stamp, ink pad and some paper. But with all the really cool rubber stamping supplies on the market today, who can just use those three things? Not me.

Your possibilities are endless when it comes to rubber stamping supplies. They can be anything from an embellishment that you add to your card or scrapbook page, to the place where your embellishments are stored and organized. I keep all of my rubber stamping supplies in labeled containers. Since I am not that good in remembering which manufacturer of stamps make my favorite stamps like the Magenta stamp, rubber stampede, Hero Arts, Outline rubber stamp, stampendous and the list can go on an on, (because they are all my favorites), I organize them by theme or by holiday.

When I just listed some of the stamp manufacturers, I just remembered that I bought the cutest self cling Magenta stamp of two cats when I was at the stamp convention. It reminded me of my two cats when they sit in our window looking like book ends. Another Magenta stamp that I have is a wood block stamp with the image of a kitten in a field of flowers. Wow, I almost forgot about that stamp. I want to make some note cards with that one.

Besides a Magenta stamp, Magenta also makes really cute Metallic, self adhesive embellishments that are really great for scrapbook pages, cards and even picture frames. My favorite is a package that they have with four of my favorite words. Create, Imagine, Believe and Dream. I also have a really good video from Magenta "The Art of Stamping Magenta Style" that shows you how to use your Magenta stamp to its fullest.

Another great summer time stamp is from rubber stampede. It is a fun border stamp of cocktails. You can use this stamp for a border or you can make an invitation for a cocktail party. rubber stampede has fun stamps. I also was on a "kick" of all oriental themed stamps, and rubber stampede really had some great looking stamps that I used a lot. I can go on and on about how great Magenta and rubber stampede stamps are and for that matter each manufacturer of rubber stamps. Maybe I will one day but not today.

I also keep some of my rubber stamping supplies in a spice rack. That's right a spice rack, I think of it as spicing up my crafts. This is a great place for brads, eyelets, buttons, rhinestones and anything else that will fit in these small jars.

Rubber stamping suppliescan also be housed in recycled containers. Since I use a lot of embossing powder one great container that I use is a plastic grated cheese container. It has the holes on one side to shake out slowly and the other side is one big opening that I use to put back the un-used powder back into the container with my funnel dish.

If you have some decorative metal tins, that is also a great place for rubber stamping supplies. I have this really cure tin that stores my mini spot ink pads.

I remember shopping in a kitchen gadget store. They had silver tins for recipes and I guess cooking supplies. Well of course I bought them and now they are the new home for all of my brads that I have accumulated over the years along with some of metal picture corners that I have from Making Memories to pewter charms and Metallic embellishments from Magenta.

Another great place to store your rubber stamping supplies is photo boxes. They are inexpensive and a great size to hold small paper packs, envelopes, packages of dimensional adhesives and even for cards that you have made for safe keeping.

For some of those big bulky foam stamps that you might have, a great place to store those and other odd shaped rubber stamping supplies are in a plastic clear shoe box.

The most important thing that I can say is LABEL all your rubber stamping supplies. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of a project and wanting something to add to your piece of art and not knowing where to find it.

How to Achieve Full Color Rubber Stamping Designs

rubber stamping is a hobby that allows you to become an artist, even if you never considered yourself one before. With the huge variety of decorative rubber stamps and clear acrylic art stamps that are available, you can always find designs that will suit your project and personality. rubber stamping on scrapbook pages and card making crafts can help you take the tension out of your day and unwind. But, what if you want more than a stamped outline? What if you truly want your stamping images to be in full color? Today you will learn how to achieve different styles of full color stamped designs.

Adding color, whether vibrant or subtle, can draw the eye where you want it in seconds. coloring the details on the rubber stamp itself is one of the first steps you will take to achieving a full color image in your hobby stamping projects. Try any of the following techniques to add color to your creative ideas.

STAMPING AN IMAGE IN COLOR

1. Use a multi color ink pad. Often you will find these available in colored stripes ranging from a rainbow of different colors to complementary colors in different shades. You may even find pie shaped multicolor ink pads that will give you even more colors in your stamping art. Regardless of the ink pad, number of colors, or shape, you will end up with a multicolored stamped image that will add great interest and appeal to your scrapbooks and card making crafts. This can add particular interest to solid images that do not need colored in. Clear rubber stamps are ideal for this technique as you can see how well the ink covers the design as well as the blend color you will end up with before you even stamp the image.

2. Another way you can add color before you stamp, is to use water based colored markers. You can do this easily by simply coloring the stamp details in your choice of color. Depending on the size of the image you are stamping, you may choose to stamp between colors. Clean the stamp and then stamp the next color separately so that the ink doesn't dry on the stamp before you get it on paper. This is very easy to do with your clear rubber stamps as you can see where to place the stamp keeping your images precisely lined up. If you find the ink dries too much before you are done coloring the stamp, simply give it a gently huff - the kind that will fog up your glasses - before you stamp.

3. The third way to add color to a stamped image is simply to choose a color of ink other than black or brown. Then you can ink the entire image and stamp it on your paper craft ideas. With that done, you are ready to begin filling in the spaces with fun coloring techniques.

Once you have finished stamping your image with the technique of your choice, you may choose to add resplendant color or you may wish to use it as it is. If you choose to add more color, keep reading for more great ideas.

COLORING IN STAMPED IMAGES

1. You may use chalks or pastels to color in an image. Chalks are available in a wide range of colors and shades. They are ideal for adding delicate color to rubber stamping projects. You can apply chalks with a stiff paint brush, Q-tip, eye make up applicator, or simply use them like a crayon and then brushed away the excess powder. The best idea is to experiment with the different application tools to find your preference. You may find that one brand of pastels is harder than others. The softer they are the easier you will find it is to use a brush to apply color to your stamping crafts.

2. Coloring with pencil crayons can give bold vivid color to your rubber stamping crafts or subtle pastel shades on your card making or scrapbooking ideas. Choose good quality crayons and colors that suit your craft. With colored pencils your can simply add shadow, fine detail or a background aura. The trick to coloring rubber stamped images with pencil crayons is the amount of pressure you put on the crayon as you color. Always color in the same direction. For pastel shades or to blend colors together apply only light pressure. Likewise, for vibrant color, you should press harder as you color. Smooth papers will color differently than textured paper. Experiment with this technique if you are unsure of the effect you will achieve.

3. Stamping additional color is a fun option. Many rubber stamp sets offer a solid background stamp which, you can ink then stamp to fill in objects such as flowers or leaves. Watch for these types of rubber stamps as you create your stamping ideas. They are fun to use and work with. When using these shadow stamps, be sure you choose a color lighter than the outline color so that your details still show up after you stamp the solid image.

4. Add vibrant color with the use of markers. You can use water base colored markers to easily color in details on your rubber stamped designs. Try to use this technique on smaller areas as the ink sometimes leaves overlap lines from coloring over dry ink.

5. Pigment inks are a quick and easy way for you to add color to your rubber stamped images. You can always be sure that the colors you use will match all your stamped elements with this technique. Ink can be applied a couple of ways. Trial and error will help you choose your favorite method. Ink a make-up applicator, and then mist it lightly with water and color in as if you were using a paint brush. You may also use the corner of a make up sponge dabbed in the ink, and color in the rubber stamped image using it dry or moist for different results.

Now you can fully enjoy full color rubber stamped designs. Use them on your hobby scrapbook art and card making crafts as you relax and unwind after a long day. By exploring the world of color in your rubber stamping hobby, you will more fully realize your creative potential as you design beautiful works of art.

How Many Rubber Stamps Do You Have in the Big World of Art Stamps?

For me it all started with these rubber stamps. That's right this cute little butterfly art stamp and this set of alphabet stamps.

I can remember my first rubber stamps. My brother gave them to me for my birthday. It was a butterfly art stamp, and an alphabet stamp set, that was 15 years ago. I can remember thinking to myself "what am I going to do with these rubber stamps"? Boy did I find out what to do with them. I made cute little butterfly note cards and I remember coloring them with a colored pencil (since that is all that I had back then or crayons), then with the alphabet stamps I stamped my family and friends name and of course finished it with a butterfly. Holy crow, he is the one that created my obsession with art stamps, and I am so happy that he did, thanks Mike.

What can I say; I Love Rubber Art Stamps and all the rubber stamping supplies that go along with them. Take a look at just some of the art stamps that I have. I have labeled each drawer and bin so I kind of know what is inside. I also have a few scattered around my craft studio on shelves. I told you that I Love Art Stamps. Now do you believe me?

Rubber stamps have come a long way. There are a ton of manufacturers for Art Stamps, depending on what you are looking for. A long time ago the only kind of art stamp that was available was the red rubber stamp mounted on a wood block. Now, those stamps are still available but there are also clear un-mounted art stamps that you take off of a cling sheet and adhere to an acrylic block. When you are done you just clean the stamp and take off the acrylic block and out back on the plastic sheet or in a clear plastic CD case.

The great thing about these art stamps is that you can see exactly where your image will be stamped on your card stock. This gives you less room for error (even though there is never an error in art, it just makes a different masterpiece then you expected).

What I love about the acrylic block rubber stamps is when you are working with alphabet stamps. The reason is you can have the correct spacing between each letter and word. When I have used alphabet stamps that were wood mounted, I usually had crooked words and phrases on my card or scrapbook page.

Another cool thing about these clear un-mounted rubber stamps is that they do not take up so much room as the original wood block art stamps. So if you do not have a lot of space to store your rubber stamps then this is the ideal way to go. I have two ways that I store my clear un-mounted rubber stamps. One is in a 3 ring binder, and the other in my Crop in Style Stamp Store tote. The stamp store can hold hundreds in the drawers.

There are also red rubber un-mounted stamps that you can purchase. They are cheaper than mounted rubber stamps. You can then mount them any way that you want; either on a wood block or use the ez-mount foam system (I will explain that in a near future article)

The last kind of rubber stamps that I can think of is the pre-inked art stamps. I have some art stamps that are pre-inked wheels. They are great for backgrounds or borders. All you do is insert the small cartridge of ink into the handle of the rubber stamps wheel, insert the wheel and away you go.

Well, as you can see I have a lot of rubber stamps. And with all these art stamps I do not have any duplicates and I can honestly say that I use or have used each and every one.

Tag : stamps,rubber stamps,art,Big World

Three Steps to Perfect Stamping

Stamping sounds so easy, doesn't it? You buy a stamp, put some ink on it, and rap it on the paper, right? Wrong!

You may find your images smudge, twist or look a bit blobby with this method of stamping. That's not usually what a stamper wants. Well, I am going to tell you about the little secrets for creating stamped images that you may not have seen before. But let's start a couple of steps before you start stamping. Let's look at the quality of the stamp and the type of ink you are going to buy.

Before you buy your stamp, it is important to examine the rubber or acrylic and decide if the image is carefully chiselled out. A good stamp will be made of a firmer, high quality rubber or acrylic and the image will be finely and deeply cut. If you buy a stamp that is softer and less well defined, that is the type of image you will get from it, regardless of your technique.

Now consider the ink you want to use. There are actually five basic types of inks and each one gives you a different effect. There are dye based, pigment based, permanent, fabric and embossing inks. Which one will produce the result you want? Here's some ideas about how to choose between them:

Dye Based inks are water based so they react to water or paint or other moisture by smudging. What they do is stain the paper, so if you want to colour your stamped images somehow, don't choose dye-based inks. If you want a quick drying ink or crisp images that you don't want to colour or alter in any way, choose dye based inks. You will also get a softer colour with dye based inks. You can usually clean this type of ink off your stamps with water, but be careful not to saturate and therefore warp any stamps mounted on wooden blocks.

Pigment inks are also water based but they are made differently to dye based inks. They have little particles of colour in them so they are brighter than dye inks and are less likely to smudge. They are best used on matte paper. When you use them on glossy cardstock, they will smudge if touched. They also take longer to dry so you can put embossing powder on them and heat set that.

Permanent ink is just that - a quick setting, water resistant ink. You can stamp on many surfaces with it - glossy cardstock, glass, acetate, even wood or paint. Once in place and dry the image is there to stay. This type of ink will also stain your stamp unless you use the specially made permanent ink cleaner solution that usually can be found on the shelf at the store next to the permanent inks.

Fabric ink is made for stamping on fabric and you will probably need to 'set' it by ironing over it once you have stamped your image. You can use fabric ink on other surfaces too (such as on chipboard). It is a semi-permanent ink so use a stamp cleaner with it to avoid staining your stamps.

Embossing inks are stickier and take longer to dry so they are perfect for catching and holding on to embossing powders. Just be careful not to touch an embossed image till it has been heat set or it will smudge. If you stamp on coloured cardstock with clear embossing ink, your image will be two tones darker than the colour of the cardstock. You'll need a stamp cleaner for this type of ink, too.

OK. Once you have chosen your ink, you are ready to start stamping. The three secrets for crisp, clear images are:

1. Place your stamp face-down on your ink pad, and tap it on the pad. Avoid pushing the stamp into the ink pad as you will wind up with too much ink on the stamp and this in turn will make your images smudged or imperfect. Now turn the stamp over and check to see if all areas of the image have been evenly inked up. If not, turn the stamp face down again and tap it on the ink pad till it is properly inked up.
2. Turn your stamp over again and hold it firmly in your two hands by the edges. Lower it onto your paper as straight as you can. Press the stamp in the middle with a finger, then press around the edges of the image to be sure all of the image has had contact with the paper. Be careful not to press so hard that you tilt or buckle the stamp.
3. Next, carefully and smoothly lift the stamp straight up from the paper, avoiding tilting or twisting the stamp.

You should have a clean, crisp, complete image!

More stamping tips:

If you have a very large stamp, turn it face up on your table. Tap the ink onto the stamp, checking to be sure it is all properly inked up. You may find you get a better result if you place your paper on the stamp and carefully smooth it over with your hand before lifting the paper straight up and off the stamp. This way you avoid any 'missed' spots caused by imperfections in the surface of a large stamp.

Do try to clean your stamps before the ink dries on them. Using a stamp cleaner will condition the rubber and maintain the quality of the images.

Now you now the three steps to perfect stamping.Perfection can be achieved if you practice these steps. It could take some practice before you consistently get perfect results, but the time you may spend doing that is worth it!

Tag : stamps,perfect stamping,step

Decorative Rubber Stamps - Know Which Type to Use

A few decades back, stamp lovers only have one option - the standard wood rubber stamp. The majority of old rubber stamps are available with handles, very much like most office stamps today, while the other kind had simple pegs attached to it. As stamps become more popular in modern times, more manufacturers are creating a wide variety of decorative rubber stamps. You have lots of options to choose from - clear acrylic, unmounted, foam, mounted, by the sheet or individually. Do a brief check online and you will discover lots of companies who sell different types. Now you may be wondering what stamp would work for you best. I hope that I have a direct answer to that, but each kind of stamp has features that make them work better than the other. Let's take the mystery out of what stamp will work best for what purpose.

Originally foam stamps were made to be used by kids. While this fact may have been true a couple of years ago, decorative rubber stamp manufacturers have created high quality foam stamps that can be readily bought today. If you are planning to add a bit of artwork to your walls or on fabric, then foam stamps are a wonderful choice. This type of stamp is relatively cheap and it's a great choice if you prefer to have a deep image on uneven or irregular surfaces. Are you planning to stamp on denim, fabric, walls, tin or plastic? If yes, then foam stamps are your best bet.

Two decades back, if you were to tell someone that you have stocked an entire closet with rubber stamps, you will somehow come off as odd or strange. Today, with rubber stamping becoming more and more popular due to its convenience and ease of use, you will find lots of people with stamps filling up their cabinets and closets. This increasing demand had manufacturers making more stamp storage units. Some crafters prefer to buy unmounted rubber stamps since the mounted kind with a wooden mount tends to be bulky and take up a lot of storage space. These stamps can be bought individually but if you have a great need for them and you would want to save money, you can buy them by the bulk. Unmounted stamps are normally attached to static cling foam or magnets so you can decide on what will work better for you. There are people who choose traditional rubber stamps which can be mounted pretty easily. These stamps are usually placed on static cling foam and they have been closely trimmed to the design.

The most recent rubber stamps are the acrylic kind. If you want to go for acrylic, make sure that you buy the best clear stamps so you won't end up disappointed. This type of stamp is normally placed on a clear acrylic block to achieve accuracy in stamping and good ink coverage.

When buying decorative rubber stamps, the biggest concern usually is the cost. With unmounted stamps you are assured of inexpensive shipping. Be careful not to purchase stamps that come in bargain bags because most of them have poor designs and quality.

Tag : stamps,rubber stamps,postage stamps,stamps online

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janet_Chua

Creative Uses of the Rubber Stamp

The term rubber stamp, or even stamping, has been associated with the craft of using ink made of dye or pigment to create patterns. The ink is then applied to an image or pattern, which may be carved or molded on to the sheet of rubber. This can also be laser engraved or vulcanized in the same processes. Often the rubber can be mounted on a stable object like brick, wood, or an acrylic block, which helps in producing solid instruments. Ink coated rubber stamps are then pressed on the medium, like fabric or paper, so that a colored image can be transferred to the same.

In many cases, glass, wood, metal, plastic or rock can also be used. There are some people who also prefer using high volume batik or liquid wax rather than a metal stamp. New techniques are being used for making highly advanced versions, and thus facilitate convenient usage. If you're looking for creative usage of the stamp, then look no further than batik printing. This format has been used to design everything from t-shirts to skirts, with batik prints forming unique patterns on the cloth.

Stamps are commercially available and can be segregated into three main categories namely the stamps for official usage, those for decorative uses, and finally the ones used in toys made for children. These stamps have grown in popularity and compared to their previous counterparts that were restricted to business purposes, these are used extensively for craft projects. Rubber-stamping has gradually evolved as a profession and hobby for some people. It is actually possible to create distinct designs through these rubber stamps. It is essential to have various designs crafted on them to get maximum results and thus transfer them to a medium of your choice, including paper, cloth or even wood. Don't be too surprised to come across craft schools offering classes in rubber stamps and batik prints.

You should be able to find various kinds of decorative versions of these stamps, which are generally referred to as art stamps. These are basically used for traditional crafts and certain home projects. These decorative versions of the rubber stamp are known for its benefits of prolonged impressions on paper, and for creating splendid designs on an array of other related fabrics. These stamps can be used for decorating scrapbooks or for any other related school projects, or even highlight any other creative object.

You can use these for making banners, creating holiday cards or birthday cards, jewelry boxes, wooden pieces, and other related products. As you can make out, these stamps made from rubber are used for adding a personalized touch to almost anything. The stamp can also be used as an emblem for your group, company or product. Most of the royal houses carry a rubber stamp with their coat of arms being featured prominently on the stamp, for e.g. the royal house of Windsor. Certain museums feature rubber stamps as a special category, so the next time you're at a museum, you may want to check that out.

If you want to add a creative touch to your garments, then these stamps can used for such purposes too. You can create your range of homemade products, which can be made funkier or more traditional, through the usage of these stamps. One can find an array of products in the market to create their own styles, and thus personalize almost anything that you want. You'll need to remember to rinse the stamps after you have used the rubber stamps, in order to wash the paint out. Innovation and creative techniques can help you create your own brand of products, which you can then market about. You can even opt to create your own brand of designs, with batik prints. When it comes to rubber stamps, the sky's the limit. You can opt to create designer clothes with unusual batik prints, use rubber stamps to create craft items with your own design or even create and market greeting cards, all under your own creative banner.

The stamp has come a long way since we have started using them to impose the family seal on important documents and papers. These days, the rubber stamps are used in almost every creative function possible. These stamps have even given raise to designer outfits, glaring with their batik prints. You may think that any creative work with these stamps would fade with time; that is the color, texture. While that may be true a while back, that's no longer the case. Most of the current batik prints are put through a process immediately after the print is applied so that the design melds onto the fabric and does not fade with the passage of time. No wonder that the rubber stamps are much in demand, at least in the batik department.

There are some wonderful resources out there like this site called Rubber Stamps Home. Alternatively, for more information on rubber stamps in general have a look at this site full of great information regarding the wonderful and diverse rubber stamp.

Tag : stamps,rubber stamps,postage stamps,picture stamps,photo stamps

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_Ebullio

Using Rubber Stampede Or Magenta? Regardless, Here's Ways to Store All Your Rubber Stamping Supplies

All you need to make your own personalized greeting card or scrapbook page is a rubber stamp and a few rubber stamping supplies. Sure you can personalize with your computer but is that really personal? Not for me. I love to make everything hand-made. It is the personal touch that I really like.

Some basic rubber stamping supplies that you will need are of course a rubber stamp, ink pad and some paper. But with all the really cool rubber stamping supplies on the market today, who can just use those three things? Not me.

Your possibilities are endless when it comes to rubber stamping supplies. They can be anything from an embellishment that you add to your card or scrapbook page, to the place where your embellishments are stored and organized. I keep all of my rubber stamping supplies in labeled containers. Since I am not that good in remembering which manufacturer of stamps make my favorite stamps like the Magenta stamp, Rubber Stampede, Hero Arts, Outline Rubber Stamp, Stampendous and the list can go on an on, (because they are all my favorites), I organize them by theme or by holiday.

When I just listed some of the stamp manufacturers, I just remembered that I bought the cutest self cling Magenta stamp of two cats when I was at the stamp convention. It reminded me of my two cats when they sit in our window looking like book ends. Another Magenta stamp that I have is a wood block stamp with the image of a kitten in a field of flowers. Wow, I almost forgot about that stamp. I want to make some note cards with that one.

Besides a Magenta stamp, Magenta also makes really cute Metallic, self adhesive embellishments that are really great for scrapbook pages, cards and even picture frames. My favorite is a package that they have with four of my favorite words. Create, Imagine, Believe and Dream. I also have a really good video from Magenta "The Art of Stamping Magenta Style" that shows you how to use your Magenta stamp to its fullest.

Another great summer time stamp is from Rubber Stampede. It is a fun border stamp of cocktails. You can use this stamp for a border or you can make an invitation for a cocktail party. Rubber Stampede has fun stamps. I also was on a "kick" of all oriental themed stamps, and Rubber Stampede really had some great looking stamps that I used a lot. I can go on and on about how great Magenta and Rubber Stampede stamps are and for that matter each manufacturer of rubber stamps. Maybe I will one day but not today.

I also keep some of my rubber stamping supplies in a spice rack. That's right a spice rack, I think of it as spicing up my crafts. This is a great place for brads, eyelets, buttons, rhinestones and anything else that will fit in these small jars.

Rubber stamping supplies can also be housed in recycled containers. Since I use a lot of embossing powder one great container that I use is a plastic grated cheese container. It has the holes on one side to shake out slowly and the other side is one big opening that I use to put back the un-used powder back into the container with my funnel dish.

If you have some decorative metal tins, that is also a great place for rubber stamping supplies. I have this really cure tin that stores my mini spot ink pads.

I remember shopping in a kitchen gadget store. They had silver tins for recipes and I guess cooking supplies. Well of course I bought them and now they are the new home for all of my brads that I have accumulated over the years along with some of metal picture corners that I have from Making Memories to pewter charms and Metallic embellishments from Magenta.

Another great place to store your rubber stamping supplies is photo boxes. They are inexpensive and a great size to hold small paper packs, envelopes, packages of dimensional adhesives and even for cards that you have made for safe keeping.

For some of those big bulky foam stamps that you might have, a great place to store those and other odd shaped rubber stamping supplies are in a plastic clear shoe box.

The most important thing that I can say is LABEL all your rubber stamping supplies. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of a project and wanting something to add to your piece of art and not knowing where to find it.

Tag : stamps,postage stamps,rubber stamps,photo stamps

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joan_Koeppel

Three Steps to Perfect Stamping

Stamping sounds so easy, doesn't it? You buy a stamp, put some ink on it, and rap it on the paper, right? Wrong!

You may find your images smudge, twist or look a bit blobby with this method of stamping. That's not usually what a stamper wants. Well, I am going to tell you about the little secrets for creating stamped images that you may not have seen before. But let's start a couple of steps before you start stamping. Let's look at the quality of the stamp and the type of ink you are going to buy.

Before you buy your stamp, it is important to examine the rubber or acrylic and decide if the image is carefully chiselled out. A good stamp will be made of a firmer, high quality rubber or acrylic and the image will be finely and deeply cut. If you buy a stamp that is softer and less well defined, that is the type of image you will get from it, regardless of your technique.

Now consider the ink you want to use. There are actually five basic types of inks and each one gives you a different effect. There are dye based, pigment based, permanent, fabric and embossing inks. Which one will produce the result you want? Here's some ideas about how to choose between them:

Dye Based inks are water based so they react to water or paint or other moisture by smudging. What they do is stain the paper, so if you want to colour your stamped images somehow, don't choose dye-based inks. If you want a quick drying ink or crisp images that you don't want to colour or alter in any way, choose dye based inks. You will also get a softer colour with dye based inks. You can usually clean this type of ink off your stamps with water, but be careful not to saturate and therefore warp any stamps mounted on wooden blocks.

Pigment inks are also water based but they are made differently to dye based inks. They have little particles of colour in them so they are brighter than dye inks and are less likely to smudge. They are best used on matte paper. When you use them on glossy cardstock, they will smudge if touched. They also take longer to dry so you can put embossing powder on them and heat set that.

Permanent ink is just that - a quick setting, water resistant ink. You can stamp on many surfaces with it - glossy cardstock, glass, acetate, even wood or paint. Once in place and dry the image is there to stay. This type of ink will also stain your stamp unless you use the specially made permanent ink cleaner solution that usually can be found on the shelf at the store next to the permanent inks.

Fabric ink is made for stamping on fabric and you will probably need to 'set' it by ironing over it once you have stamped your image. You can use fabric ink on other surfaces too (such as on chipboard). It is a semi-permanent ink so use a stamp cleaner with it to avoid staining your stamps.

Embossing inks are stickier and take longer to dry so they are perfect for catching and holding on to embossing powders. Just be careful not to touch an embossed image till it has been heat set or it will smudge. If you stamp on coloured cardstock with clear embossing ink, your image will be two tones darker than the colour of the cardstock. You'll need a stamp cleaner for this type of ink, too.

OK. Once you have chosen your ink, you are ready to start stamping. The three secrets for crisp, clear images are:

1. Place your stamp face-down on your ink pad, and tap it on the pad. Avoid pushing the stamp into the ink pad as you will wind up with too much ink on the stamp and this in turn will make your images smudged or imperfect. Now turn the stamp over and check to see if all areas of the image have been evenly inked up. If not, turn the stamp face down again and tap it on the ink pad till it is properly inked up.
2. Turn your stamp over again and hold it firmly in your two hands by the edges. Lower it onto your paper as straight as you can. Press the stamp in the middle with a finger, then press around the edges of the image to be sure all of the image has had contact with the paper. Be careful not to press so hard that you tilt or buckle the stamp.
3. Next, carefully and smoothly lift the stamp straight up from the paper, avoiding tilting or twisting the stamp.

You should have a clean, crisp, complete image!

More stamping tips:

If you have a very large stamp, turn it face up on your table. Tap the ink onto the stamp, checking to be sure it is all properly inked up. You may find you get a better result if you place your paper on the stamp and carefully smooth it over with your hand before lifting the paper straight up and off the stamp. This way you avoid any 'missed' spots caused by imperfections in the surface of a large stamp.

Do try to clean your stamps before the ink dries on them. Using a stamp cleaner will condition the rubber and maintain the quality of the images.

Now you now the three steps to perfect stamping.Perfection can be achieved if you practice these steps. It could take some practice before you consistently get perfect results, but the time you may spend doing that is worth it!

Tag : stamps,rubber stamps,photo stamps,oid stamps

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Luke

Cling Mounted Stamps - The Good, the Bad, and the Choices

Rubber stamps have been around for generations without much innovation or alteration in their design. Until now that is. The world of rubber stamping has finally been updated with a 21st century spin, the cling mount stamp. Cling mount stamps are used in the same manner as traditional rubber stamps except they do not come permanently pre-mounted on a wooden block. Cling mount stamps have two sides; one side has the raised image that holds the ink for stamping and the other side is coated with a repositionable cling surface which holds or mounts to a piece of acrylic which replaces the wooded block.

Cling mount stamps have a lot of benefits over traditional wood mounted rubber stamps. One of the best bonuses is the lower cost of cling mounted stamps with stamp sets selling for a reduced price compared to traditional stamps with more stamps in the set too! They are more compact for storage often being packaged in a thin plastic bag or DVD case which makes owning and organizing multiple stamp sets a breeze; unlike the days of trying to find suitable storage for bulky and various sized wooden blocks. With the cling mount stamps positioning the stamps exactly where you want them is a dream because you can see the stamp through the clear acrylic block so there is no more guess work about the exact position of the image under a wooden block; I know most of you have experienced a stamp that was not mounted quite right so the stamped image was slightly off where you wanted it to be. The cling mount stamps clean up the same way as your traditional stamps so you can continue using your cleaner of choice. Finally, you can make collages of images or use a block the size of your card and positional the stamps at once and only have to stamp once making sure that each card has the images in the exact same position.

The new and innovative world of cling mount stamps is not without its flaws. The stamps do not come with a mounting base like traditional stamps where it is all one complete unit which means that you will need to purchase acrylic blocks for your stamps. The blocks can seen costly at first but it is important to remember that you do not need to have a block for every individual stamps since you remove the stamps after using them; ideally you should have a couple acrylic blocks in sizes you use a lot so that you can stamp with multiple images without having to remove them in between depending on the project you are working on. Some cling mount stamps do not hold the ink as well as others with the ink pooling and pulling off parts of the image producing a spotty or streaked stamped image. Also, if you are short on time this type of stamps might not suit your needs because you will need to take the time to mount each stamp, remove each stamp, and then put the stamp and block away separately.

There are a couple choices when it comes to choosing the type of material the stamp is made from, plastic or rubber. The material the stamp is made from impacts image quality. I have used both the clear plastic and rubber cling mount stamps. The winner in my book is the rubber cling mount stamps, like those by Stampin' Up, because they produce the same quality stamped image that we are all accustomed to with our traditional stamps. Some of the plastic cling mount stamps look great and promise wonderful stamped images but do not deliver, including the sets by The Stamps of Life, the ink does not hold as well resulting in a streaked image.
Overall I believe cling mount stamps are a wonderful addition to the world of stamping and paper crafts just consider your needs and the quality of the stamp material. Shop around, have fun, and get stamping!

Tag : stamps,rubber stamps,photo stamps,stamps collection

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rachel_Frank

How to Achieve Full Color Rubber Stamping Designs

Rubber stamping is a hobby that allows you to become an artist, even if you never considered yourself one before. With the huge variety of decorative rubber stamps and clear acrylic art stamps that are available, you can always find designs that will suit your project and personality. Rubber stamping on scrapbook pages and card making crafts can help you take the tension out of your day and unwind. But, what if you want more than a stamped outline? What if you truly want your stamping images to be in full color? Today you will learn how to achieve different styles of full color stamped designs.

Adding color, whether vibrant or subtle, can draw the eye where you want it in seconds. Coloring the details on the rubber stamp itself is one of the first steps you will take to achieving a full color image in your hobby stamping projects. Try any of the following techniques to add color to your creative ideas.

STAMPING AN IMAGE IN COLOR

1. Use a multi color ink pad. Often you will find these available in colored stripes ranging from a rainbow of different colors to complementary colors in different shades. You may even find pie shaped multicolor ink pads that will give you even more colors in your stamping art. Regardless of the ink pad, number of colors, or shape, you will end up with a multicolored stamped image that will add great interest and appeal to your scrapbooks and card making crafts. This can add particular interest to solid images that do not need colored in. Clear rubber stamps are ideal for this technique as you can see how well the ink covers the design as well as the blend color you will end up with before you even stamp the image.

2. Another way you can add color before you stamp, is to use water based colored markers. You can do this easily by simply coloring the stamp details in your choice of color. Depending on the size of the image you are stamping, you may choose to stamp between colors. Clean the stamp and then stamp the next color separately so that the ink doesn't dry on the stamp before you get it on paper. This is very easy to do with your clear rubber stamps as you can see where to place the stamp keeping your images precisely lined up. If you find the ink dries too much before you are done coloring the stamp, simply give it a gently huff - the kind that will fog up your glasses - before you stamp.

3. The third way to add color to a stamped image is simply to choose a color of ink other than black or brown. Then you can ink the entire image and stamp it on your paper craft ideas. With that done, you are ready to begin filling in the spaces with fun coloring techniques.

Once you have finished stamping your image with the technique of your choice, you may choose to add resplendant color or you may wish to use it as it is. If you choose to add more color, keep reading for more great ideas.

COLORING IN STAMPED IMAGES

1. You may use chalks or pastels to color in an image. Chalks are available in a wide range of colors and shades. They are ideal for adding delicate color to rubber stamping projects. You can apply chalks with a stiff paint brush, Q-tip, eye make up applicator, or simply use them like a crayon and then brushed away the excess powder. The best idea is to experiment with the different application tools to find your preference. You may find that one brand of pastels is harder than others. The softer they are the easier you will find it is to use a brush to apply color to your stamping crafts.

2. Coloring with pencil crayons can give bold vivid color to your rubber stamping crafts or subtle pastel shades on your card making or scrapbooking ideas. Choose good quality crayons and colors that suit your craft. With colored pencils your can simply add shadow, fine detail or a background aura. The trick to coloring rubber stamped images with pencil crayons is the amount of pressure you put on the crayon as you color. Always color in the same direction. For pastel shades or to blend colors together apply only light pressure. Likewise, for vibrant color, you should press harder as you color. Smooth papers will color differently than textured paper. Experiment with this technique if you are unsure of the effect you will achieve.

3. Stamping additional color is a fun option. Many rubber stamp sets offer a solid background stamp which, you can ink then stamp to fill in objects such as flowers or leaves. Watch for these types of rubber stamps as you create your stamping ideas. They are fun to use and work with. When using these shadow stamps, be sure you choose a color lighter than the outline color so that your details still show up after you stamp the solid image.

4. Add vibrant color with the use of markers. You can use water base colored markers to easily color in details on your rubber stamped designs. Try to use this technique on smaller areas as the ink sometimes leaves overlap lines from coloring over dry ink.

5. Pigment inks are a quick and easy way for you to add color to your rubber stamped images. You can always be sure that the colors you use will match all your stamped elements with this technique. Ink can be applied a couple of ways. Trial and error will help you choose your favorite method. Ink a make-up applicator, and then mist it lightly with water and color in as if you were using a paint brush. You may also use the corner of a make up sponge dabbed in the ink, and color in the rubber stamped image using it dry or moist for different results.

Now you can fully enjoy full color rubber stamped designs. Use them on your hobby scrapbook art and card making crafts as you relax and unwind after a long day. By exploring the world of color in your rubber stamping hobby, you will more fully realize your creative potential as you design beautiful works of art.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Rice

Rubber Stamps And Scrapbooking – Keep Kids Busy With Crafts This Summer

They’re out of school and back to torment the neighborhood this summer. You remember the days. Boredom is a common thought, even with all the stuff to do. Mow the lawn, go to baseball games, and hang out with friends. How can they be bored?

It is really not that tough to find things to do, but it seems like a lot of work just trying to find them. What could the kids do that will actually make them learn something? Just because they are out of school doesn’t mean they have to shut their minds off.

Scrapbook Your Summer

Summer is a time for having fun with friends and enjoying the finer things in life. There are trips to the beach, the amusement park, and the ballgame. Memories will be had by the minute. Preserving the memories is crucial. The boring rainy days will no longer be mind-numbing when there is scrapbooking to do. With all the pictures you are going to take, there must be a cool place to store them.

Sharing the summer memories is fun, but most importantly, it is a way to recall those memories in the future. It’s fun to look back on past summers and laugh at the fun times with friends and family.

Stamp for Fun, Stamp for Years

Incorporating rubber stamps into the scrapbook will make the project to another level. Personalizing you memories is what will make your scrapbook different from all the rest. There are rubber stamp ideas for any theme that you can think of. Baseball stamps help you preserve the ballgame memories, while fish rubber stamps will aid in the conservation of fishing trip memoirs.

Stamping is a hobby that can be enjoyed by all ages for all the years to come. Whether you are creating scrapbooks for photo memories, specialty envelopes for a cocktail party, or crafts for the grandkids. Getting your children involved in stamps and other fun hobbies will not only be fun for rainy days, but will a hobby that they can take with them for the rest of their lives.

Crafting teaches patience, problem solving, and determination. Working with your hands is not something that can be taught, it must be learned through trial and error. There are not many things that the whole family can enjoy, but stamping and crafting is fun for all.

How Many Rubber Stamps Do You Have in the Big World of Art Stamps?

For me it all started with these rubber stamps. That's right this cute little butterfly art stamp and this set of alphabet stamps.

I can remember my first rubber stamps. My brother gave them to me for my birthday. It was a butterfly art stamp, and an alphabet stamp set, that was 15 years ago. I can remember thinking to myself "what am I going to do with these rubber stamps"? Boy did I find out what to do with them. I made cute little butterfly note cards and I remember coloring them with a colored pencil (since that is all that I had back then or crayons), then with the alphabet stamps I stamped my family and friends name and of course finished it with a butterfly. Holy crow, he is the one that created my obsession with art stamps, and I am so happy that he did, thanks Mike.

What can I say; I Love Rubber Art Stamps and all the rubber stamping supplies that go along with them. Take a look at just some of the art stamps that I have. I have labeled each drawer and bin so I kind of know what is inside. I also have a few scattered around my craft studio on shelves. I told you that I Love Art Stamps. Now do you believe me?

Rubber stamps have come a long way. There are a ton of manufacturers for Art Stamps, depending on what you are looking for. A long time ago the only kind of art stamp that was available was the red rubber stamp mounted on a wood block. Now, those stamps are still available but there are also clear un-mounted art stamps that you take off of a cling sheet and adhere to an acrylic block. When you are done you just clean the stamp and take off the acrylic block and out back on the plastic sheet or in a clear plastic CD case.

The great thing about these art stamps is that you can see exactly where your image will be stamped on your card stock. This gives you less room for error (even though there is never an error in art, it just makes a different masterpiece then you expected).

What I love about the acrylic block rubber stamps is when you are working with alphabet stamps. The reason is you can have the correct spacing between each letter and word. When I have used alphabet stamps that were wood mounted, I usually had crooked words and phrases on my card or scrapbook page.

Another cool thing about these clear un-mounted rubber stamps is that they do not take up so much room as the original wood block art stamps. So if you do not have a lot of space to store your rubber stamps then this is the ideal way to go. I have two ways that I store my clear un-mounted rubber stamps. One is in a 3 ring binder, and the other in my Crop in Style Stamp Store tote. The stamp store can hold hundreds in the drawers.

There are also red rubber un-mounted stamps that you can purchase. They are cheaper than mounted rubber stamps. You can then mount them any way that you want; either on a wood block or use the ez-mount foam system (I will explain that in a near future article)

The last kind of rubber stamps that I can think of is the pre-inked art stamps. I have some art stamps that are pre-inked wheels. They are great for backgrounds or borders. All you do is insert the small cartridge of ink into the handle of the rubber stamps wheel, insert the wheel and away you go.

Well, as you can see I have a lot of rubber stamps. And with all these art stamps I do not have any duplicates and I can honestly say that I use or have used each and every one.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joan_Koeppel

Personalized Rubber Stamps

In an ever-expanding corporate environment, the need to have an individual identity is a must to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. There are several ways of making this statement such as brand advertising, promotion campaigns and a personalized logo. However, a very subtle yet effective method used to highlight a person or organization’s individuality is the use of personalized rubber stamps.

A personalized rubber stamp allows the users to craft their own design, logo, slogan or signature for the stamp. The engravings in the rubber base are made exactly according to the need of the user, adding to the tailor-made approach. These rubber stamps also make the perfect gift for any occasion.

Personalized rubber stamps come in various shapes and sizes and focus on the minutest of details. Wood handle stamps are one of the most unique personalized stamps. Unlike other commercial stamps, these stamp handles are custom made to match the size of the rubber die. Other variations include personal signatures, images and logos. Since these stamps are made for a specific individual or organization, their size and shape can also be customized.

Personalized rubber stamps are usually made with real red rubber using laser engraver process. This process helps create the finest details in any stamp, may it be text based or an image. Personalized rubber stamps maybe used for a variety of purposes, such as stamping important documents, decorating greeting cards and wallpapers, certifying documents, and creating art tabletops.

Personalized rubber stamps are the best way to create a lasting impression of individuality. The stamps can also be designed as gifs for several occasions, including those designed to represent different zodiac signs for a person’s birthday. Whether representing an organization, an individual or just an abstract thought, these stamps are sure to leave a positive impression.

Tag : stamps,rubber stamps,postage stamps,photo stamps

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Scrapbook Stamps

Scrapbook stamps have been around for nearly 20 years. Nothing makes your pages or cards more personal than stamping and creating your own. Stamping is even easier now days with the new acrylic stamps that are available. Let me tell you about some of the benefits of using the new acrylic stamp sets and blocks.

Stamps have come along way over the years. We have all used those bulky wooden blocks that took up our whole scrapbook rooms to store. Not to mention that when we stamped with them, it was so final, no fixing out mistakes or adding the little accents with a perfect placement. It was all a guessing game and you just closed your eyes and prayed you "hit your mark". Not anymore, with the new clear acrylic stamps, it has taken scrapbook stamping to a whole new level.

The acrylic stamps are stored in a thin envelope and the clear blocks are stored in there own case. Once you have the blocks, you do not have to keep buying them, they are reusable for all the acrylic stamps. The new and improved scrapbook stamps are lightweight and easy to store and transport anywhere. Not to mention that when using the clear stamps, everyone becomes an expert and most importantly they offer you creative control from project to project. With the clear stamps on the clear block, you will be able to see exactly where you are placing each one which makes it easier to add your accents with matching stamps. You can mix and match stamps sets to create your own creative designs, backgrounds, and boarders.

Using the stamps is easy, simply remove the stamp from the clear carrier sheet and place on the appropriate size block. When using alphabet stamps; simply follow the line guide on the block to create a straight line. This is perfect for titles or journaling. Once you have your stamps on the blocks, pick your color of ink and apply with a downward pressure. You will be able to see the coverage through the block, when it is just right, apply to your paper. Continue the process until you have completed the perfect design.

When you are finished, clean your Stamps off with acrylic cleaner or warm soapy water. When the stamps are clean, return them to the stamp carrier sheet for storage. If by chance they do not stick to the carrier, simply wash with warm soapy water and let them air dry. They will not lose their stickiness.

You will be amazed with these stamps; you will be able to create endless layouts and cards with just one stamp set. And, you will be able to have a bigger variety with all the space you will be saving with the sleek envelopes instead of the bulky wooden blocks. Not to mention that the acrylic are half the price of the wooden blocks!

Close To My Heart offers a complete line of Scrapbooking Stamps and Acrylic Blocks to make your Scrapbooking faster, easier and more enjoyable.

Tag : stamps,scrapbooking,rubber stamps,picture stamps

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