simple stamping I

Confession: I am not a fancy stamper.

Even though I've taught many many technique based stamping workshops, I don't actually use most of those techniques. I rarely color things in, I don't use copics, distress ink or resist techniques, I hardly ever mask anything off, I don't use mists or alcohol inks, and I don't use very many embellishments. This is not to say that I don't use any techniques...but the ones I love are super simple.


So in celebration of "Stamptember" here are some of my favorite basic techniques .

Favorite #1: the repeat

I love doing this with sentiment or graphic stamps...simply line them up straight, diagonal or create an offset pattern and repeat over and over again in a neutral color and then somewhere...the end, the middle, wherever...stamp one in a bright pop of color. A single stamp can make a great background. You can cover the entire card or cover a smallish piece of paper and punch or diecut a shape.

Favorite #2: fussy cutting

Okay, yeah, I know, this is not for everybody. These days people have lots of options for cutting besides using your own two hands and a pair of scissors. But I still like it and I still do it despite owning just about every cutting contraption known to man...I use those too by the way.  I like giving my cut images a bit of dimension by using pop dots or some sort of foam adhesive. I love that a lot of stamp sets now come with matching dies.

Favorite #3: embossing


What stamper doesn't love embossing? Even though it's kinda bordering on fancy, I consider embossing a pretty basic technique and one of the best ways to get a lot out of your stamps. I love that I can make a pretty ho hum card a little glittery or glossy in a matter of seconds.

Favorite #4: using paint or watercolor

I like prepping a bunch of cards ahead of time with a simple wash of color or bold stripes or circles
then I can grab one at any time and add a sentiment.

Favorite #5: limits

I don't know that I would call this a technique, but it might as well be. If you only have a few sets then perhaps limits aren't really your concern and I don't always do this, but sometimes having all my stamps at my disposal to make one or two cards is a bit overwhelming. So, I grab a few sets or a handful of favorites and work from those.

In case you're interested here's what I used:

color ink, embossing ink
acrylic block
stamp set 1, stamp set 2, stamp set 3
paper
gold embossing powder/ aqua embossing powder
hibiscus acrylic paint

Part two of this simple series will be how I use stamps on things other than cards:)

sneaks

I haven't been shouting it from the rooftops or anything, but I have briefly mentioned here and there that I'm prepping the shop for a relaunch. Without getting too deep...at least not in this post, I thought I'd make a tiny visual introduction...

One of my main priorities this go round was to keep it simple and functional. Not just on the back end, but the product as well. That started by doing what I love best...designing paper based items.

As much as I love rubberstamping...there was no way I could leave them out. I will be releasing a small limited edition collection of wood handle stamps derived directly from my own hand lettering. When I refer to handlettering, I don't mean handwriting...the designs I created for this small set of stamps represent many many hours of pencil on paper work and I'm pretty excited to not only be releasing them in the shop but paying homage to how I got started in graphic design many years ago.

If you visited my Etsy shop back in the day, you know that one of my most popular items was the custom minibooks affectionately titled "project minibook." The shop will include a stripped down version of the project mini, but the name remains the same.

Next week I will share more details about the products and the shop.