Hello everyone! This is Deb and I'll be hosting the blog all this week. We'll be focusing on my favorite part of scrapbooking - the stamping! It's easy and fun and adds a bit of charm to any layout. I like to keep it simple and I don't worry if my stamped images aren't perfect.
I have lots of layouts to share this week, but first lets get started with the basics just in case there are some newbies that want to give stamping a try.
There are three main types of stamps and they are all available in many designs that nicely compliment scrapbook layouts.
Rubber cling and clear stamps require the use of acrylic blocks. I prefer the clear stamps because it helps to be able to see where I'm stamping and they are easy to store. I haven't had any trouble with my clear stamps, but if you happen to have one that doesn't take on the ink evenly, try using an eraser to rough them up. You can also stamp with Versamark ink before using them. This primes them and helps them to hold the ink better.
There are a lot of different types of ink, but these are the main types and the ones I use the most.
Any of these inks work fine on paper. For stamping on slick surfaces like a photo, vellum, or transparency, Stazon works great. I only use it when I have to because of the extra cleaning required. Most of these inks will stain your clear stamps, but it doesn't affect their performance. And except for the Stazon ink, the stamps will clean up easily with a little water.
I will be sharing a lot of examples of different types of stamps on layouts this week. The type of stamps I find the most useful are the smaller ones, either graphic or words/phrases that can be used as accents around my photos or elsewhere on the layout. I'll share layouts with smaller stamps on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday will be an awesome giveaway and Friday will be all about stamping for Project Life! I blogged my most recent Project Life layout here if you want a bit of a preview.
But today, here are some layouts that include background stamps. The larger stamps are a nice way to ground your photo. I stamped a chevron pattern background stamp directly on the page in the first example. The second one includes a background stamp of polka dots. And the last example includes a starburst background stamp that I stamped on cardstock, cut out and added to my page for added dimension.
I hope you'll come back tomorrow! I'll be sharing more layouts embellished with graphic stamps (like cameras, arrows, chevrons, etc). There are so many possibilities!
