Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

Mount: The base the die and cushion are placed onto.

· Foam stamps are made of an absorbent material that soaks up some of the ink or paint (liquid forms of color) for stamping an image.

· Foam stamps vary in absorption. Some are very dense absorbing very little while others are more porous absorbing more liquid than you might think!  Practice with your foam stamps before using on your project. The more absorbent the foam stamp the better off you are using paint as your color.

· Foam stamps are the least expensive of all stamps. Perfect for the beginner who isn’t sure yet if he or she wants to make an investment in stamping. The images are usually bold, solid, and very simple. Foam stamps are also excellent for children. Foam stamps are best for bold images or patterns, not detailed or line images.

· Some inks and paints can stain the foam. This will not hurt the stamp unless the stain is really excess ink or paint that wasn’t removed during cleaning. If excess paint or ink remains in the foam, the foam will harden and no longer absorb color for stamping. Make sure you clean foam stamps immediately after each use.

· It’s best to brush or dab on the ink or paint rather than dip the stamp into the liquid. Tap the inked image on a paper towel to remove any excess liquid. You want the stamp image covered, not dripping.

· Press inked foam stamp to surface gently. You do not need to press down hard as you do with other types of stamps. If you press to hard, the excess ink or paint will spill out the side of the image and puddle.

· Like other types of stamping, get your placement figured out, lay the stamp down onto the surface and press gently. Do not rock or wiggle the stamp. Pull stamp straight up to remove.

· Since foam stamps are opaque, you may need a guide for placement. There are tools available to help with image placement or you can mark the surface softly with pencil.

· The real key to foam stamps is to not over-ink! Less is usually more with this type of material. The only way to really get a feel of a foam stamp is to practice, practice, and practice. You can brush on chalk or pastel for a very soft image. Remember that the chalk or pastel needs to be “set” with some type of spray sealer or over time the chalk will rub off.

· Most of us at least doodled as children so take a break from your everyday worries and be a kid again! Start by taking a sheet of cardstock and pen, relax and just daydream while drawing, scribbling, and doodling on the paper. Don’t think about it; just let your hand be your guide.

· As you get more comfortable with doodling, use a patterned or designed paper instead of a plain sheet of cardstock. Doodle around the design or patterns. Coordinate and contrast your writing instrument with the colors within the paper. Enhance the paper in front of you.

· You can also be organized in your doodles. It may seem contrary since doodle are supposed to be done without thought, but try planning out the your doodles. For a garden page, doodle flowers. For a 4th of July page doodle fireworks. For a birthday page, doodle presents or balloons.

· Doodles add a personal touch to a scrapbook page or other paper art. It’s your hand creating some interesting and embellishing “art work” to the page just like a written signature.

· Use a variety of writing and coloring tools. Mix up the colors. Draw lines, shapes, outlines, and solid blocks of color and texture.

A little doodle interpretation…

· Faces: The simple face is a motif from early childhood, with a genuine ‘smiley’ suggesting a happy-go-lucky nature. A beautiful face can also indicate a sociable ‘people person’.

· Houses: Houses are regarded as representing the home life.

· Flowers: Doodles of flowers indicate a gentle personality, a love of nature, childlike innocence or wistfulness.

· Geometric Shapes: Regular patterns from geometric shapes tend to indicate an organized and efficient mind. Triangles suggest direction and sense of purpose.

· Circles: The circle appears in every culture as an archetypal form representative of the eternal whole. With no ending or beginning it also represents the universe.

· Games& Mazes: Game grids such as chess or checkers suggest a competitive nature and desire to win – or a love of the game!

· Hearts: You’re in love. Generally, hearts are drawn by people in love, but may also indicate a romantic disposition.

· Arrows: Arrows represent direction and ambition. Drawn aggressively, they represent a desire for action. Drawn in careful outline, they indicate a desire for progression or advancement, especially if pointing upwards.

· Boxes & Perspective Forms: Perspective drawing is quite an advanced stage in artistic development. 3-D boxes indicate an ordered mind and love of routine.

Mount: The base the die and cushion are placed onto.

· Clear stamps are not made of rubber. The image made clear material that you can see through for placement.

· Most clear stamps are in sheets or groupings and need a mount to use. Mounts are made of clear matter too.

· The benefit of a clear stamp is that you need no additional tools to get perfect placement of the image. You also do not need any temporary adhesive to mount the stamp as you do with unmounted rubberstamps.

· No cushion is used with clear stamps. These stamps tend to be a little thicker than rubber dies and the cushion is built into the clear die.

· Clear stamps can not produce the clean, crisp image that a rubberstamp can produce. In most cases, this is not an issue for the scrapbooker or the cardmaker.

· Clear stamps can be inked with any type of ink, but keep in mind that permanent inks are very difficult clean off the image, it’s better to use pigment inks, dye inks, chalk inks, and even acrylic inks while avoiding any alcohol based inks.

· Clear stamps can be used for most rubberstamping techniques as long as alcohol based inks aren’t used. Let your imagination be your guide!

· This type of stamp is great for the beginner or for any paper artist who just wants to add a little more detail and creativity to scrapbooking, cardmaking, collage, or altered art.

· Clear stamps should be cleaned by wiping the image or with a very mild soap. They need to be stored flat, dry and out of sunlight and extreme heat or cold.

· Clear stamps come in a variety of images, but for most scrapbookers a collection of borders and alphabets will produce the most use and benefit.

· Liners- Continuous curved or straight lines of same thickness

· Scripts- Holds more liquid than Liners

Flat Brush: Brush with long bristles with a square- cut brush tip and a ferrule that is somewhat flat usually size by number such as 2, 8, or 16 or by fraction 1/4″, 1/2″, 3/4″

Hake Brush: Oriental brushes that are very fluffy and absorbent available round and flat best known for their use in Sumi-e or Oriental brush stroking.

Stencil Brush: Very stiff round brush with flat or even tip used dry, loaded with paint, crème paint or ink and with a circular motion applied to surface in combination with a stencil.

Make-Up Brushes: Usually very “fluffy” used to apply chalks and pastels.

Stipple Brush: Stiff round brush with uneven tip used dry, paint or ink is loaded onto brush and brush is pounced onto surface giving texture.

Specialty Brushes: Do very specific techniques and include such brushes as Filbert, One Stroke, Mop, Rake, Fan, Liner, or Paste.

Sponges: Different types and sizes, including natural and synthetic giving either a smooth or textured look when loaded with color and pounced on surface.

· Always recap the container of liquid glues between uses. Many liquid glues dry quickly when exposed to air and will clog if not recapped.

· If the bottle of glue has a tip that needs to be trimmed or cut before using, cut at an angle rather than straight across the tip. An angled tip gives you more control over the flow of glue from the bottle.

· While using a bottle of glue (capped), keep the bottle tip down in a glass or on its side. This keeps the glue ready to use and keeps air bubbles out of the glue.

· Need your glue to be a little tackier? Just remove the bottle top and allow to stand for 30-60 minutes. The air will remove liquid from the glue making it thicker and tackier.

· Keep bottle tips clean. Wipe frequently and every so often remove the top and clean it thoroughly with warm water and soap. Allow to dry completely and place back onto bottle.

· When using a tape runner, never press down hard or pull forward on the runner. Read the label instructions for using your brand of tape runner.

· On a regular basis, check to make sure there is no excess adhesive in the head of your tape runner. Sometimes the adhesive clings to the inside of the runner and can eventually clog.

· Most adhesives have a shelf life meaning that over time they may lose strength if not properly stored. Keep all adhesives in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.

· Only remove the paper backing from any adhesive right before you need to use it. Otherwise it may stick in the wrong spot or have dust/unwanted particles attach to it.

· If the paper backing is difficult to remove, roll a corner or lightly score a corner. With the tip of a needle or pin, prick the corner and lift.

Dimensional Paints: Dimensional paints can act as a glue with strong bonding ability. Great in a bind or if you want a little outline added to an embellishment.

Eyelets: A metal embellishment that needs to be set with an eyelet tool. A hole is made to insert the eyelet, and then the back of the eyelet is set or smashed to set it. Eyelet can adhere a photo, mat, or embellishment.

Foam Tape: Double stick foam where paper backing is removed to expose adhesive, used to add dimension.

Glitter Glue Pens: Glitter is added to a clear glue base and can be used as an adhesive for embellishments rather than with photos.

Glue Dots: Solid adhesive usually a dot shape that can be used to add dimension as well as bonding.

Hot Glue: A solid stick of glue that needs to be melted usually with a glue gun or glue hot pot to be applied. As it cools, the glue bonds and becomes solid again.

Threads: Threads and flosses can be used with a sewing needle to stitch or adhere items to surfaces. Often used in conjunction with small buttons.

Photo Corners: Paper or other acid free material with a slot that the photo slides into, the photo corner adheres to a surface, not the photo.

Pins: From safety pins to stick pins, this trendy idea is catching on and makes a decorative statement. It’s recommended that a small hole be punched for the pin to slide through rather than counting on the pin to be sharp enough to poke through thicker papers.

Pop Dots: Foam with adhesive on both sides that is used to add dimension as well as bonding.

Stickers: Traditional scrapbooking, acid free stickers are used (overlapping item to be adhered with surface) to adhere materials using the sticker like a piece of tape.

“Warm” Glue: In the family of hot glues, but this glue is designed to melt at a much lower temperature and is better for delicate materials like mylars, photos, tissue papers. A glue stick is inserted into a dual or warm temperature glue gun.

Adhesive Squares: This “tape” has adhesive covered with a paper backing on both sides. Remove the paper backing and apply. Adds a spot of adhesive rather than a line of adhesive like tape runners.

Decoupage Glue: Thin glue brushed onto surface of paper as a sealer and under paper as a bonding agent.

Double Stick Tape: This tape has adhesive on both sides, but no paper backing.

Clear Lacquer: A very clear glue that can be used to bond materials or as a top-coat over a material to give the material a glass like look.

Epoxy: Usually mixed (2 Part Epoxies) just before use, this glue is as tough as glues come.

Fabric Glue: Designed to bond fabric without bleeding and many hold up through washings.

Glitter Glue: A liquid thin-bodied glue designed to adhere fine glitters to surfaces, which dries clear and doesn’t “soak up” the glitter, but allows the glitter to float on the glue surface for extra sparkle.

Glue Stick: Glue in solid form inside of a tube that is rubbed onto surface.

Glue Pens: Liquid glue in a handy pen applicator with various shaped tips.

Instant Glue: Fast drying, this chemical glue works best on small surface areas using only a small amount of glue. Best on nonporous surfaces.

Jewelry Glue: Designed to hold or bond heavier objects such as a bead to paper or metal to paper.

Paper Glue: A thin-bodied glue designed to bond paper without damage to paper such as buckling or wrinkling.

Plastic Cement: This glue works by dissolving any plastic areas it touches thus bonding two such surfaces.

Rubber Cement: Glues paper without wrinkling and can be repositioned. Best not to use on photos.

Tacky Glue: Very thick-bodied white glue that can bond with a hold similar to a hot glue without the heat.

Tape Runners: A double-sided adhesive that is applied with a tape holder or runner.

Ultra Tacky Tape: This thick, usually pink tape has an extra bond quality often used to adhere seed or mini beads and is often used for embossing lines.

White Glue: Non-toxic, nonflammable, this all-purpose glue works on most surfaces and dries clear.