Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
I find it it is stiffer than I expected. (I only saw it, didnt feel it in that class) But it works. And it does double as a piercing mat. You cant fold or roll it for carrying like you can the inkado one and there are no grids. It's also smaller than the inkado one but plenty big enough.
It is true that for years I just used a pile of copy paper. I didnt like doing the couple of mags cuz I found those slid around-unless you have a very thick one. But I also was using wood blocks mostly at that time so it comes with foam on it.
As usual with me, I got it on a good sale. That red one looks totally fine to me. I dont think it needs to be anything fancy-which is why I think a dollar mouse pad in the clearance racks is cool too. I find it very funny that in the specs it says the Darice one's gender is male and it's sport is football! LOL Maybe the buyer just wants to see if anyone is paying attention!
I stamp at a game-type table in my living room and have to bring everything out to make a card. I just use whatever magazine is handy to put under my paper when I stamp. One less thing to get out and put back!
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Yesterday while at Goodwill, I stood there holding a good sized mouse pad thinking, "Should I, or shouldn't I? It was .99 and in the end I put it back. Just one more thing to find a place for, I thought.
I don't have anything under my cards except a quilting mat with grid marks and a oven liner (craft mat). I'm cheap, too! LOL! errr. frugal, I meant.
__________________ We can't all be stars but we can all twinkle.
Last edited by Dorie95; 10-20-2016 at 11:04 AM..
Reason: added sentence.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Either a Ranger's craft mat - the teflon paper-thin kind - or more recently, the craft mat adhered to a self-healing cutting mat - an extra I had.
The corners of the craft mat were so bent and curled they were annoying. So I just wrapped the edges around cutting mat and taped them down. It's an Avery or Dahle. It provides a softer surface than the table, and you can faintly see lines through it.
If the cutting mat had been larger, I would have just taped the Ranger mat on the top of the cutting mat. I'm not going to use it for cutting. Obviously.
I never had problems stamping right onto the Ranger craft mat onto the table, which is covered with a 1/4" (?) thick piece of acrylic instead of glass, since I don't like the coldness or sounds glass makes when you put a glass onto glass.
I used the Darice thick foam until I got my MISTIs (original and mini), now I use the interior of the MISTI even if I'm using an acrylic block (which is rare, but does happen).
I use an out-of-date phone book as a cushion for stamping. When the phone book's top sheet gets tattered, I just remove that sheet and I have a nice clean surface to work on.
__________________ Rita
God demonstrated His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ... being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:8 & 9
My previous desk had a glass top so I wasn't worried about its surface. At that point I just had an oven liner. I recently switched to a newer wooden desk and wanted a little more protection so now I have added a large craft mat over that. I often have a grid sheet that helped with measurements and keeping things straight. I keep a sheet of cheap white cardstock under my work. Between sponging, stamping off Etc I often wnd up with pretty pieces to use on other cards!
whether I'm stamping with rubber or with photopolymenr stamps.
If I'm stamping on a wooden table - solid, non-"giving" surface - I just stamp on grid paper to protect the surface from inks going over the edges, etc.
If stamping on the Costco tables as in multi-table studio settings, I stabilize that "give" in the surface with a ceramic tile (no texture). I provide a tile to each stamper in my classes as it really makes a big difference on larger stamps.
On rare occasions if I'm struggling with a clear stamp needing better, more complete contact between image & paper, I'll use one of the now-trendy "firm foam" items ... for me, it's my SU piercing mat, for some above it's a mouse pad, or other branded firm foam product.
It really does depend on what 'issue' a stamper is facing, as described above. ;)
I use a spiral notebook (sometimes you can get them for 10 cents at the start of the school year). When the page gets too dirty, just flip it over to the next page. I used to tear the dirty page off, but learned that as more and more paper is torn off, the notebook won't lay flat on the table because of the spiral jobbie. The other thing I like is that I don't have to keep wiping the work surface to clean it off. Just flip the page.
I use a stack of old Ikea assembly instruction booklets. They're kind of pulpy paper that has great cushion. I can also test stamp on them, and then just fold that page back. So far the stack has lasted me a few years. It has a lot of life left in it.
I use an old mouse pad but if you don't have one or don't want to buy one; you can make your own. Very easy to do as I have made some and given away to those in need.
Several DIY mouse pad instructions: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Diy+moouse+pad
This thread kind of fascinates me. It makes me wonder if what we use is somewhat dependant on how we were first taught or our expectations.
My first stamping teacher is the owner of an LSS, and I think (?) we used a Ranger craft mat. So it didn't occur to me to use a thicker/softer surface, whether for photopolymer (85-ish % of stamps) or rubber. And other than when just starting out and holding a block kind of wonky, haven't had problems getting crisp impressions.
In the last few weeks I've stamped on a Ranger mat folded to the back of a self-healing mat and taped down, but only because my arm was catching on the curling/bent corners. Irritating.
In workshops at some LSS's, thicker/softer surfaces haven't been used, though maybe some participants brought them. I might not have noticed, since I'm often head down into my work, since I can work slower than others - ideas aren't instant-mashed-potatoes fast - and so I'm anxiously trying to keep up with some huge project that would ordinarly take me two days that is done in 5 hours. (We all have our challenges.)
Can you believe the price difference for the Darice mat at Walmart and Joann??!!!
I have a folding "church table" to work on so the Formica-like surface was too hard. I got a big desk-top calendar on sale and when the big pages were all stamped and written on, I could just pull it out and go to the next month. Then I saw a big yellow foam Stamping Mat at Michaels or Joanns and thought that would be good. Well I don't need it much, and it was too big to keep on my stamping area all the time, so I cut a piece about 5 x 6 and keep it handy when I need that extra padding. It's about 1/4 " thick. I don't think they still carry it. It's a bit softer than a mouse pad.
I get so much copy paper, due for recycling, from work, that I keep those pages on top of my desk calendar, and feel very free to use them for embossing powder and test-stamping.
When my desk calendar is completely out of months I will break out the thin-ish Heidi Swapp mat I found at Michaels when all her brand was 50% off. It's bluegreen and a good size and is thicker than my Ranger silicone mat. I don't know how wipe-off-able the surface is, so I will probably keep copy paper on top of it.
Can't use Misti for everything!
I got my stamping pad at Joann's. It might be the Darice one (it is a red color). It was quite large so I cut it into smaller pieces. I keep one in my stamping kit that I take with me to my stamping club. It is 11"x11". The tables at the recreation center are very uneven and the pad really helps me have clear images. I also have several smaller pieces in different sizes that I keep on my desk to use when needed. I have a medium sized Misti and I use that most of the time now...
I always have a piece of scrap paper down under my stamping if using an acrylic block,& I then stamp on a cutting mat on my desk. Nothing big or fancy. I also use my Misti more & more, but sometimes, some of my stamps require just what I have on my desk.
I always keep a heat proof craft mat (Ken Oliver) on my desk with a self-healing cutting mat on top. I add scratch paper when I need it. I don't use a special surface for most stamping but I have been using my MISTI more and more. And it has the foam inside it. Anytime I don't use my MISTI I mess up. I guess I've lost my touch as it never used to happen! I'm too spoiled! It has saved a lot of paper and frustration tho!!
I have a large, 18x24, newsprint pad on my desk. Works great for padding, trying out stamp combinations, stamping off extra ink, scribbling gel pens to get them working and when it's too messy, I just rip off the top page! I do have a craft mat that comes out for super messing things like brayering, Brusho or super inky bgs.
Craft stores, office supply, arts and craft departments. I just found them online too. I bought mine on clearance a few years ago so I have several on hand. Works great when friends come over to craft. I also have a 9x12 that I use when I'm traveling.
Just looked at Hobby Lobby ad and I can get an 18 x 24 pad with 50 sheets for $6.59. That's really good compared with others I Googled. "It's on the way home from work"
what do you use under your paper while stamping?
