Craft white ink question

[jranagel]

I am trying to come up with my Christmas card this year so I have been playing around. I had some red CS laying around, non-SU brand, and when I stamped the image with the white craft ink, it turned pink. I know I can just try this with the SU real red CS, which I plan on using for my cards anyway, but I don't want to "waste" any of my good CS trying it. PLEASE tell me that the red doesn't run into the white ink. I actually like this last card I made.

Thanks.

[MelenaPrincess]

I just tried it and it was fine. You may need to reink your pad, it may not be coming out opaque enough which is why it looks pink instead of white. Good Luck!

[GarnetJ]

....sometimes the less expensive cardstock has a dull finish which absorbs the ink. SU cardstock has a bit of a "shine" --- not so absorbent.

[jranagel]

Ok, I tried it with the red cardstock from SU! and the white ink turned pink. Do you really think it needs to be reinked? Its so inky now, I am afraid to reink it anymore. I am so frustrated.

[basurok]

If you want the white to really stand out versus soak in....try white embossing powder. For the other craft colors, clear EP works well...but since you have that "absorption" thing going on...the white EP is your best bet.

[jranagel]

Iwas afraid I was going to have to do that, embossing. For some reason I can't get the hang of embossing, the powder goes everywhere, not just the image I stamped with versamark, and it looks awful.

[Patra]

jranagel, here's what I do to emboss: First, rub your Embossing Buddy (or a dryer sheet) over your CS. Don't worry about excess powder right now, just blow it off a little and stamp with VersaMark. I pour my EP out onto my card with a coffee filter under the card to catch the extra EP. Give the card a good flick with your finger on the back of the card and you shouldn't have any extra specks of EP on your card. Heat with gun and when it is completely cooled, take a paper towel and gently rub off the excess powder left from the Embossing Buddy. You should be able to pour your EP back into the container from the coffee filter without any waste at all. The coffee filters and Embossing Buddy made the biggest difference for me. I hated embossing before I discovered those two things. Now I emboss all the time. The Powder Pals are a great idea, but I find they have too much static and are a pain to clean out, especially if you're using several different colors of EP or glitter at one sitting. The coffee filters are static-free and disposable.

Sorry this was so long, but I love the look of embossing and hate to hear someone say that the beautiful result isn't worth the effort!

[jranagel]

Oh, good idea about the coffee filters, I hate cleaning out that tray. I will also have to try the dryer sheet trick, hopefully that will work.

I LOVE embossing, and I do think that the image is beautiful, but for some reason I just could never get it to look the way others can. Thanks for the tips.

[litehearted]

Here's what works well for my daughter and I for keeping embossing powder from getting everywhere, and is cost effective. I put a somewhat deep box that will hold a standard sheet of paper, on top of an old tv tray next to our work table. Any advertising mail you toss will work, but an inexpensive rheem of paper works great and will last forever. Fold a sheet in half and lay in the bottom of the box. Flick your excess powder off your card onto it. The creased paper allows you to pour the powder back into it's container nicely via this pathway with hardly any waste at all. I use a fresh piece of paper each time and only have to empty the stack of papers whenever I feel it needs it. Used this method for 7 years now and it's clean, fast and self-contained.

[dinobomp]

Here is what I do to heat emboss...
I use the "glad" or other brand of square disposable containers, available at Walmart, Target, etc. Pour all of one color embossing powder into the container. Add a plastic spoon, that will stay in the container. When I am ready to emboss, just hold your card over the container; spoon the embossing powder over the card; tap off excess, and you are then ready to use your heat gun! All the extra powder goes back into the container, it's easy to do, and you never waste or spill any powder. I label the lids with what color is inside. I hope this helps others as much as it did me!

[litehearted]

I've seen this done in the past and is a great idea. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have collected so many embossing powders that I would go broke just buying the containers for them Thanks for the reminder because it would work well for the ones we have large jars of and use often.

[MSBetsyZ]

Try heat setting immediately after stamping your image. (Just grab your heat gun and dry the ink with it.) I find that if I do that it keeps the ink from absorbing and it stays on top of the paper. This means that the color looks less faded. It still won't look as vibrant as white embossing powder would, but it should be better than stamping alone.

[cat_woman]

You could also spray the cardstock with a light coating of a matt sealer before stamping so the ink doesn't absorb into the cardstock.

[Pooga]

ooh, thanks cat woman...I like that idea. I have the same problem with my white craft ink as op...actually dread using it. I have the sealer around and definitely will have to try it.

[BeckyG3]

One more tip for embossing - before you pick up the piece of cardstock with the embossing powder on it - use a clothes pin (wooden or plastic) to hold the cardstock instead of your fingers. Sometimes just a little, tiny bit of your Versamark or ink get on your fingers and leave a spot on your card - this spot doesn't show until you hit it with your heat gun and then it really shows up. Holding the paper with the clothes pin will eliminate this.