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I always keep the door to my scrappin room closed when I am not in there. I have found a sponge, a fingertip sponge/dabber, paper scraps, and a wheel stamp in the hallway that my newest kitty enjoys playing with.
When I am in there working away, she loves to sleep on my stamp scrubber. Now I just have to keep her out all together cause she is a big thief!
I like to wear old jeans when I stamp. Sometimes it helps to rub stamps on them. And they have kept me from getting stabbed/burned/cut a few times.
Like other ladies have said, take good care of your stamps with proper cleaner/conditioner. They are a big investment!
__________________ Kiva.org- Loans That Change Lives
Love the ink on the shirt stories. How 'bout glue?
My tip is always keep a long sewing needle handy to unplug bottles of liquid glue. Just squeezing harder doesn't clear the tip but blows the top.... then you get glue all over yourself, your card, the cabinets, the carpet, your desk, your clothes... it happened to me and it ain't pretty.
__________________ Anjou My Gallery * My Blog - Dreaming in Color "Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so." - Belva Davis
Excellent advice and I'm going to add to it (wish I did this ... I still need to do it but I have started an Excel file):
Begin and index system of your stamps and supplies right away. If you wait until you have "enough" it will be too many and feel overwhelming. This will also help reduce duplicate purchases.
If you have any duplicates feel free to PM me for my mailing address ;)
Love the ink on the shirt stories. How 'bout glue?
My tip is always keep a long sewing needle handy to unplug bottles of liquid glue. Just squeezing harder doesn't clear the tip but blows the top.... then you get glue all over yourself, your card, the cabinets, the carpet, your desk, your clothes... it happened to me and it ain't pretty.
I keep it taped to the side of the glue bottle (I read someone's story that they kept the needle in the bottle and it rusted resulting in discolored glue!)
Bad things happen when you try to use paper clay in a die cut machine So just dont think about it....
I have heard that putting versa mark on your scissor blades helps to keep the gunk of when cutting unmounted stamps.
If you are using stamps you have to cut out...always cut them out when you get them....or you will never use them and you will feel like you wated your money
Oops that was supposed to be an edit...not a quote
I agree with all the kitty comments. The latest mine has done was drag a chewed up plastic bag of embossing powder all over the house... so DO NOT leave easily torn stuff (including finished projects!) where your animals can get them.
Make sure that you either move your open inkpad to a different spot of your work space or close it - they're magnets for cards falling over. If an inkpad is open - especially dark and permanent inks - and a card is near, it will inevitably fall over and leave a SPOT on the part of the card that isn't going to be covered up with something.
Excellent advice and I'm going to add to it (wish I did this ... I still need to do it but I have started an Excel file):
Begin and index system of your stamps and supplies right away. If you wait until you have "enough" it will be too many and feel overwhelming. This will also help reduce duplicate purchases.
If you have any duplicates feel free to PM me for my mailing address ;)
Happy Crafting!
Tina aka TeeGeeDee
Oh how I wish I had done this. But my Demo who get duplicate stamping mags and my SIL who get anything else might disagree.
Oh, and I use a highlighter on all the things I have in the SU catty.
I use a Red Sharpie and place a checkmark on the stuff I own from the catalog (I do the indexes too - soem wheels only appear in the index!).
I really wish my inventory was up-to-date since we are likely moving within the next year (but possibly as soon as a few months).
The people in my close stamping circle mark our catalogs with the sets that each of us owns. Sometimes one of us may need a particular image but it may not be used enough to make it worth purchasing, so we know what each other have. I must also say though, that there are some sets that each of us owns because they are so wonderful and versatile! We just use initials to mark who owns a particular set. I also mark my catalog when a set retires.
When you get a new stamp and want to use it, do a 'test run' on a scrap piece of paper. Some stamps have a spot that may be lower/higher than others, or needs to be pressed more firmly in the middle. Every stamp is different. Better to test on a scrap than to ruin your project.
When stamping a word or two, or three, lie the words down on the table as you want them to appear. You can even line them up along a ruler's edge. Take your long acrylic block and just press down on them and voila! Message attached to your block perfectly straight!
Don't buy a ton of embossing powders (like I did when I first started). You can stamp with any colored pigment ink, then quickly emboss with clear embossing powder and your color matches your project perfectly.
Good luck to you. This is a very habit-forming hobby!
When you get a new stamp and want to use it, do a 'test run' on a scrap piece of paper. Some stamps have a spot that may be lower/higher than others, or needs to be pressed more firmly in the middle. Every stamp is different. Better to test on a scrap than to ruin your project.
I agree that the "test run" is a good idea. However, in my experience, having a stamp ink unevenly is usually due to an ink pad that doesn't have a level, even surface. Especially with larger stamps, it's easier for me to get a good, even impression if I turn the stamp upside down (rubber side up) and apply the ink pad to the stamp, rather than having the ink pad on the table and tapping the stamp on it.
Your mileage may vary...
Also, often new stamps have a residue left from the rubber mold, and it's helpful to clean the stamp before using it.
Use a proper heat tool on your thermal embossing projects. And do not, I repeat, DO NOT insert them into your toaster slots and depress the lever.
:shock:
Yes, the card stock actually CAN catch fire.
And, if you have long hair, do not, I repeat, DO NOT bend over your project with your head so close to the air intake valves of the heat gunthat your hair gets sucked up into the motor.
:shock:
Ask me how I know.
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
Don't put all the stickers on your SU blocks before you've taken a photocopy of the sheet...great to keep in the box so you'll always know which stamps go with which set.
Use a proper heat tool on your thermal embossing projects. And do not, I repeat, DO NOT insert them into your toaster slots and depress the lever.
:shock:
Yes, the card stock actually CAN catch fire.
And, if you have long hair, do not, I repeat, DO NOT bend over your project with your head so close to the air intake valves of the heat gunthat your hair gets sucked up into the motor.
:shock:
Ask me how I know.
I sure wish I had of had this advice two days ago, lmao!!
*is still wondering about the vaseline and rubber comment*
If you are using clear stamps/blocks make sure you use an alcohol free cleaner. Alcohol will crack the acrylic blocks.
If you drop a brad - hunt it down right away. Although I have vinyl flooring and not carpet in my craft room, it still hurts like heck when you step on one full force because you don't realize it's there! I've wondered more than once here lately if stepping on a brad constitutes needing to have my tetanus booster updated.
Don't put all the stickers on your SU blocks before you've taken a photocopy of the sheet...great to keep in the box so you'll always know which stamps go with which set.
I began doing this years ago when I loaned a set out and it came back one stamp short. Since I had the copy of all the stamps in the set it was easy to locate in my friend's stamping mess.
It also helps if you are using many stamps sets from different years out at once. If you have several snowflakes out it helps to put them back in their correct box. SU has not always put the date on their stickers for the stamps.
janet***
__________________ Psalm 37:7
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
Don't buy a ton of embossing powders (like I did when I first started). You can stamp with any colored pigment ink, then quickly emboss with clear embossing powder and your color matches your project perfectly.
Ooohhhh, where were you when I started stamping? :rolleyes: That is excellent advice. This is such a fun thread.
When using an old style eyelet setter (with hammer) NEVER try to do this when working on a glass-top table, otherwise it could turn out to be a $150 card/project. :shock:
When inking up your stamps, tap the inkpad, don't rub from side to side because it could cause your inkpad to fray at the edges.
Happy stamping!
__________________ Rebecca *~*~ProudArmyWife *~*~ MY GALLERY.SoCal Stamp Mania V--I was there!!!
Use a proper heat tool on your thermal embossing projects. And do not, I repeat, DO NOT insert them into your toaster slots and depress the lever.
:shock:
Yes, the card stock actually CAN catch fire.
And, if you have long hair, do not, I repeat, DO NOT bend over your project with your head so close to the air intake valves of the heat gunthat your hair gets sucked up into the motor.
:shock:
Ask me how I know.
Julie, it sounds like you've been through it all! ROTFLOL
__________________ Lynn
"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right�--Lincoln
When using an old style eyelet setter (with hammer) NEVER try to do this when working on a glass-top table, otherwise it could turn out to be a $150 card/project. :shock:
Don't do it on your tile floor either. . .
__________________ Kathy
Proud Mama to Mason 4/3/99, Miles 5/25/02, and Maya 8/26/04
Location: Probably reading your blog...instead of actually stamping
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JulieHRR
And, if you have long hair, do not, I repeat, DO NOT bend over your project with your head so close to the air intake valves of the heat gunthat your hair gets sucked up into the motor.
:shock:
Ask me how I know.
<--------wondering if Julie used to have long hair
Don't buy a ton of embossing powders (like I did when I first started). You can stamp with any colored pigment ink, then quickly emboss with clear embossing powder and your color matches your project perfectly.
Also, you can make any color dye ink a "pigment ink" for embossing by inking first in Versamark, then immediately with your dye ink, then stamp out your image, sprinkle on clear embossing powder and "Voila!"
I always wear a white tshirt when stamping. I use my bleach pen on the ink stains before washing and they always come out!
As convenient as it may seem, DO NOT store the straight pin you use to unclog your Crystal Effects tip inside the nozzle -- after a while the pin will rust, and your whole bottle will be ruined! I keep a pin taped to the side of the bottle instead, and it's easy to remove it when you need it and put it back when you're done.
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
I shared this on the "ask me how I know thread" that was circulating some time ago, but here is mine:
If you own a crop-a-dile, make sure your important body parts are out of the way before you clamp down on it. I've personally only caught my finger, but my neighbor caught her boob and it was very painful.
