Stamp Your Heart Out!

June 30, 2009 Crafts, Maria Nerius, Rubber Stamping No Comments

I started rubberstamping over 20 years ago as a way to stamp out my frustrations as a not so talented artist. My husband can draw, but I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler. I admire those who have put in the time to learn and practice the art of drawing, yet for me it is easier to become an artist by inking a rubberstamp and pressing that image onto a surface. Stamps and all that is stamping have come a long way since my primitive beginnings.

I gave up rubberstamping a few years ago. I gave away most of my stamp collection and all the accessories that go with stamping like inks, embossing powders, markers, watercolor pencils, and heat guns. I saved my favorite stamps; mainly sea life and florals. I stored them all away safe from the heat and light. It was a tough decision. But I wanted to concentrate on other crafts.

I stamped onto acetate to create this card.

I stamped onto acetate to create this card.

Recently, I’m feeling that old stamping itch again. I’ve moved my stamps to an area closer to my workstation here in the studio. I’ve been looking at all the new inks and embossing powders. I ordered some watercolor pencils and a set of cool markers. I got out a box of my favorite projects reviewing how delightful rubberstamping can be. I love the techniques of coloring stamped images and using those images to create a card or altered book.

They say everything old is new again. I’m re-discovering my joy of rubberstamping and it is exciting. Is there a craft you put aside? Do you ever feel the pull and want to give it another try? I’ll let you know what I find in my new stamping adventures!


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Aging, Antiquing & Distressing Techniques

September 5, 2008 Crafts, Painting, Paper Crafts, Rubber Stamping, Scrapbooking, Techniques and Mediums 1 Comment

You have the tools, now how do you age, antique, and distress materials?  Here’s a handy guide:

Bleach It!:  Brush or lightly spritz paper with bleach.  Allow colors to fade, dab off any excess.  Lemon juice can also be used.  Heat set once dry.

Coaster It!:  Using a messy cup of coffee or tea, use your paper as a coaster or saucer and let it soak up the coffee or tea that has puddled at the bottom of the cup or glass.  It’s an interesting, realistic touch of distressing.

Crush It!: You can ball up the paper and then smooth out to give aging lines and some instant wear and tear to paper.   The more you crumple it, the more aged and soft the paper will look.  You’ll have a paper with a fine webbing of age lines. 

Ink it!:  Spill a little ink on that paper!  Dribble it!  Puddles of ink are perfect touches of aging.  Allow ink to dry completely before adding any embellishments or photos. 

Iron it!:  For a more polished look, iron distressed paper.  Always use an ironing cloth to protect your ironing board surface and your iron!  Do your best to crush, ink, rip, sand, and more, then use the iron on a warm setting to smooth it all out.

Sand It!:  Using sanding paper, fine steel wool, or an emery board, sand the edges of paper or embellishments.  Skip the sanding paper or emery board over the body of the surface too.  This gives the effect of weathering and aging by wind, sun, and time. 

Speckle or Splatter It!:  Using an acrylic wash or ink, take an old bristle brush or toothbrush and dip into liquid.  Lay background paper or scrapbook page on newspaper or other covered work surface.  Flick brush or toothbrush with your thumb and this sends a fine mist of paint over the paper.  Repeat until you are happy. 

Sponge It!:  Sponge on hints of color using inks, pastels, chalks, paints, tea, coffee, glazes, and watercolors.  Add layer upon layer of color until happy.

Spray It!:  Spray surface with diluted ink, paint, even strong tea or coffee.  Intensify color by repeated spraying.

Tear or Rip It!:  Tearing and ripping paper gives it an aged or distressed look.  You can rip along an edge or right down the middle!  Practice ripping with scrap papers to get a feel of how different papers will rip and tear.  You can also chalk or ink the ripped paper edges to give a more earthy aging effect. 

Tips

  • Age builds up on surfaces so to create a realistic aged surface slowly “build” layers of color, stain and paint. Then sand or pound. Then repeat layering of color.
  • Step back from your work occasionally and look at the aging effects from a distance. Up close your project may look done, but at a distance you may see it in a different light.
  • Gold ages with brown tones, silver with black tones.
  • Add shadow with dark hues, highlights with light hues.

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Dreams Can Come True…

August 22, 2008 Rubber Stamping No Comments

I always wanted to be an artist when I grew up.  However my attempts at drawing never made it past the stick figure phase.  My color sense is almost embarrassing.  And I don’t have the patience to apply myself to one thing and perfect it.  I just don’t have the attention span.  Yet, in my heart, I still want to grow up and be an artist.

Painting

I love rubberstamping because when I stamp I am an artist.  My drawing is perfect with each impression.  Who needs color theory when my imagination can create purple cows and green moons?  My watercoloring doesn’t have to be perfect in my little mini masterpieces.  I can blend colored pencils, chalks, and pastels with ease.  When I close my eyes, I am an artist and it feels wonderful.

I also like rubberstamping because of all the color!  You can do a design in bold rich colors and make the same design with soft natural earth tones.  Chalk inks are available in such a variety of hues and textures.  Yet, this craft doesn’t have to be expensive.  Once you have the basics you really can create for months.  What did you want to be when you grow up?  Is there a craft that makes you feel like an artist?


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Unmounted Rubberstamps

July 5, 2008 Rubber Stamping, Techniques and Mediums No Comments

Die: The rubber or image part of a stampCushion: A layer between the die and the mount

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

· This type of stamp is sold as the die only or the rubber only, with no cushion or mount. It is usually purchased as a sheet of several images, although you can purchase single images.

· Unmounted (Un-mounted) rubber is often referred to as UM, UMs or Ums in text, design instructions, and magazine articles. Serious rubberstampers like to invest in this form of stamps because they are less expensive, take less storage space, and helps broaden the stamper’s image inventory.

· Most unmounted images are made of rubber. Rubber allows for long life and excellent detail. Rubber images can be large in size and highly lined and shaded. When stamping with larger images, stand and press down evenly across the entire image without rocking or moving the stamp.

· Mounts can be made of almost anything from wood to PVC to a domino; anything that will firmly hold up while the image is stamped. Mounts can be purchased or handmade.

· Since unmounted rubber images are often sold by the sheet, you will have to trim the images. Trim as close as you can with very sharp scissors or a sharp blade. Take your time and you’ll end up with a nicely trimmed image.

· You have to mount the rubber image to use it. You need a cushion, a mount, and temporary adhesive. You mount the die or rubber to the cushion with a temporary or permanent adhesive, and then mount the cushion to the mount with a temporary adhesive. When done, you’ll remove the die/cushion, clean the die and store the die/cushion until its next use. If the mount gets inked, clean it also to prevent unwanted transfer of ink to your next project.

· The cushion is an important aspect of the unmounted stamp. To get a clean, crisp image you need a cushion between the rubber die and the hard mount. Although you can stamp without a cushion, the image is much more difficult to achieve and often is smudge rather than crisp.

· Unmounted rubber images need to be stored dry, flat, and out of any sunlight or extreme heat or cold. The temporary adhesive on the back of the cushion will hold the image onto a sheet of clear plastic or a page protector.


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Foam Stamps

July 5, 2008 Rubber Stamping, Techniques and Mediums No Comments

Die: The rubber or image part of a stampCushion: A layer between the die and the mount

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.


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