A: As long as your stamping ink is waterproof, you will be fine applying watercolor powders over a stamped image. Versafine, Stazon or archival ink are a few examples of inks that are waterproof. If you're worried about bleeding, use a pigment or embossing ink and heat emboss the image before working with the powders. For more control of where the powders go, brush water just in the area where you want color, then sprinkle the powders into the water and allow them to blend. Allow the panel to air dry, then brush away any powders that fell outside the wet area.

A: It's not necessary to have a completely different machine, but you might want to designate a needle for paper that isn't used for fabric. Paper quickly dulls the needles and cause them to catch in the cloth. Mark your paper needle with nail polish or an alcohol marker so it's easy to spot (I always used Purple for Paper). Also, be sure to clean your feed dogs and bobbin case after sewing on paper, as it creates more dust than fabric sewing.

A: One draw of photopolymer stamps is the price, usually about $15 for a 4"x6" set of stamps, that would be more expensive and complicated to produce in rubber. Smaller companies gravitate to clear sets because they're easy to produce quickly, have lower minimums, and don't require the bulky plates required for pressing. They come pre-trimmed and ready to sell; they are compact to store, and they're cheaper to mail. As far as stamping, it's nice to have a clear stamp on a clear block to see exactly where you're going with your image. Restamping or aligning multi-step images is much easier. If you have a sentiment that you want to stamp in an arc rather than a straight line, they're pretty easy to bend and maneuver on the block, too.

A: Pencils are great for adding just a little extra highlight over marker, watercolor, ink or acrylic work - I like the way they pick up the texture of the paper, too - it's a different look than just leaving a highlight area uncolored. My favorites to use are Prismacolor and Derwent Coloursoft - these both have really soft leads and they don't require much pressure to apply color to an image. For a more muted highlight, I also like the Coloursoft Cream and White Grey.

A: Ink Refresher is a product by Ranger that can be spritzed onto ink pads to extend the life of the ink. Often inkpads that seem dry aren't lacking ink - they're losing moisture through evaporation. The Refresher gives the ink a little moisture boost. I've only used it on dye ink pads but it can be used on water-based pigment ink pads as well as water-based markers. If you're not sure if your pad is water-based, swipe a little ink on a non-porous surface and see if you can move it with a wet paint brush.