Stamps are a fast, fun, and versatile way to add an extra element of design to your scrapbook layouts and paper crafts. There are an endless variety of stamps and stamping pads to choose from. The process, as you would imagine, is simple and easy.
There are different types of stamps and different methods of stamping.
Different Types of Stamps
- rubber mounted stamps with design on the front
- unmounted stamps, usually cheaper
- acrylic stamps – see through (my favorite), unmounted
- foam stamp (most inexpensive and fragile) soak up more ink, better with paint
- roller stamps
Different Types of Ink (& Pads)
- dye ink (water-based, dry quickly)
- pigment ink (thicker ink, used with embossing)
- embossing ink pad
- watermark pad (a resist technique – rub chalk or something else to bring out image)
- spectrum pad (several colors at once)
- StazOn (put on any surface, ie transparencies)
Methods of Stamping
For now, I’ll stick to showing two simple methods of stamping. We’ll branch out to more advanced stamping techniques at a later time. Pictures to come…
Using rubber stamps:
- Holding your stamp gently press it against your ink pad.
- Press firmly onto your surface. You’ll want to avoid rocking the stamp back and forth as it will blur the image.
- Remove and allow to dry.
Using stamps with paint (acrylic):
- Cover the stamp with the color you want using a paintbrush.
- Then, carefully press the stamp on your cardstock.
- Remove and allow to dry.
