Improve your stamping skills

[kjenter]

Hi everyone,
I love to stamp and over the years, I have bought a ton of stuff to help me be a better stamper. I can't begin to tell you how much paper, ink etc I have wasted to achieve the perfect image.

I go to card making classes near me here in SE Michigan and last month was introducted to a new item. Friskars easy stamp press.

If you have never seen it, here it the friskars site where they show it.

Stamping Tools and Accessories / Stamping | Fiskars


There are a ton of videos on utube for it, check them out.

I have to tell you, this is the greast invention right up there with the wheel and sliced bread. I LOVE, LOVE this, I first bought the larger one, it is abou 9 x 11 inches. I used it and then decided I needed the smaller version, which I take to crops etc. The smaller is about 6 x 8 inches. Perfect for taking with you.

I have tried keeping the stamps on their wooden blocks, got smears, etc. I tried acrylic blocks, the blocks that rock. This stamp press is the best thing.

THIS is by far the BEST thing I have bought for crafting in a while.


I understamd there are other brands too, so theck them out. If you are clever or have a significant other who is, this could eastly be made with some sponges and plexiglass. But hey, lets keep our craft companies in business.

I urge you to RUN not walk to your nears craft store and get one, if they don't stock it, urge them to get it. Or order one from the internet, prices are not too bad, but check around.

You have to have this if you love to stamp.

Karen
Michigan

[Catrick]

I have had this for years...it was one of the first crafting tools I purchased. Back then there was no grid on it! I love, love, love it. Wait...I have a 50% coupon for Michael's...if I get the new one for me I can give the old one to my daughter....be right back!

Cathy

[kjenter]

WOW Cathy, I must have been in a craft bubble here. I did not even know these were out there. My larger one (package) is marked 2010 and the smaller one 2011. So, I thought they were a new product. I am so glad you are going out to get the new grid one, and giving your old one to your daughter. I am going to another card making class tomorrow, maybe I will see some other new things, that is new to me, that have been out there for a while. LOL

Have Fun,
Karen
Michigan

[babe54]

Hi Karen...I bought the stamp press a while back and never opened it. I went to a show and bought the large background stamps and debated whether to buy the rocker tool. I thought if the stamp press didn't work I would regret not buying the rocker so I bought it. Got home and tried the stamp press and it did work.
I do like the stamp press and haven't opened the rocker. Oh well!

[melissa59]

I have the larger one and I also love it. But one day I'll need to buy the smaller one for crops as the large one is rather bulky.

I too sometimes get smudges from my wood mount stamps, but I just can't bring myself to unmount my beautiful stamp sets. I don't know why. I guess, to me, it's like ripping a diamond out of it's setting. LOL

[Cindy55]

I bought it but have never used it. Guess I need to put that on my list of things to do this weekend!

[kjenter]

Thank you for everyone for commenting. Maybe those of us who have the acrylic blocks and the blocks that rock can sell them off to those who don't know about the stamp press. Shhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

I too debated on if I should unmount my stamps from the wooden blocks. But I took the plunge and did it. But I did keep all of the woodem blocks, stored them. If you put them in the microwave for about 10 seconds the stamps peel right off of the wooden block, for larger stamps, you might have to do 12 to 15 seconds.

I probably have over 1000 stamp now. Storage was an issue. I started with 4 of Tim Holtz brown zipper cases. I use the fsleeved older that came with them. Well, I had so many stamps and the zipper cases were kind of pricey. So I now keep those with certain stamps in them. I buy the refills now for them and mount my stamps on them.

This is what I used to make an insert. I took my laminator and I laminated the laminating pouches together, nothing in between. Then I cut them so they were a little smaller than the pocket themselves. One 9 by 11 1/2 laminating pouch can be cut for 2 pieces and they just fit in the sleeves. I copied all of the wooden backs or the stamps themselves on my printer and put them on the laminated piece, with permenant tape runner, this is the front front side I rounded the corners, with my corner rounder so they were not so sharp. Then mounted the stamps on the back and put them in the sleeves. I now use a larger rubbermaid type of box and store them all by categories. Everything is clear so you can see just the stamps you need.

I used my label maker and made stickers with the names on each folder sleeve, Christmas, baby, snow, sympahty etc, and kept all of the like stamps their respective pockets together.

I can hold the like ones together with those metal rings you can open and close, bought them at the office supply. They come in all different sizes.

When I go to a crop I can pull out the folder sleeves I need and carry themj in the brown zippered case, or if I only have one or two of the sleeves, just put them together with a metal ring.

Karen

[melissa59]

I don't have a lot of stamps so storage isn't really an issue -- yet. I did buy some unmounted and got some EZ foam and a binder from Sunday International.

But weight is a problem. I took some stamp sets to a crop recently and my son (who loads and unloads my car for me) joked about how my hat box was heavier than anything else I was taking. Hat box had my wood mount stamp sets! :-O

[annie*]

I recently bought this tool from the JoAnn's web site. I would like to purchase a couple of the extra plates, but don't know another source other than the Fiskars site. The plates are kind of expensive at Fiskars, in comparison to what I paid for the tool. Do you know of any sources where you could buy the two plates for less than $10 plus shipping? TIA