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Search the archive, three years of Inklings.
Ask the Artist
Our Artist in Residence, Dina Kowal, answers your questions
April 29, 2015
Q: mrslibrarian wants to know: "What's the best way to attach metal embellishments?"
A: Hot glue would be my first choice for attaching a metal embellishment. A few well-placed, strong glue dots might work on cardstock if the metal piece is not too heavy. A strong glue such as E6000 would work well for attaching metal embellishments to altered projects.
April 22, 2015
Q: Betty wants to know: "I tried to dye clear embossing powder with a reinker and the color turned out great, but when I tried to heat it nothing happened -- it would not heat. What did I do wrong?"
A: I'm guessing that the reinker made the powder too wet - embossing powder is finely ground plastic, so it wouldn't actually absorb the ink. I would think that pigment powder or alcohol ink might work better. An alternative is to ink up your stamp with Versamark ink before adding dye ink - the Versamark makes the impression embossable, and the color of your ink will show through the clear powder.
April 15, 2015
Q: Nancy wants to know: "Why is my paper cracking when I emboss?"
A: Cracking can sometimes be caused by too much pressure on the cardstock; sometimes this is caused by the depth of the design in the embossing folder itself. For a lighter impression you can actually run those folders through 'open faced' - for the Big Shot, turn the base plate to tab 2, then layer a cutting plate, the embossing pad, cardstock, the embossing folder (open, with the debossed side down), and the 2nd cutting plate.
April 8, 2015
Q: Pat asks: "Is there any way to revive ink pads that are beginning to dry out?"
A: The best way to revive inkpads is to purchase the reinker for the pad so that you're replacing the ink that you've used. These are usually about the cost of a new pad but have plenty of ink for multiple refills, and the ink can be used for watercoloring or other techniques as well. There is also a product by Ranger called Ink Refresher that can be sprayed onto ink pads to extend their stamping life.
April 1, 2015
Q: Kimii asks: "Some of my rubber stamps won't stay stuck to the acrylic blocks. I've heard some people say to put liquid glue on them and leave them over night. If you do this, won't the stamp be sticky all the time, and if so, how do you store them afterwards?"
A: There are special glues that dry a bit tacky - the one that comes to mind is called "Tack It Over and Over" and it's by Aleene's; I've used another type of glue that is made for stencils but does the same thing, and there are also spray adhesives that dry with a removable, low-tack finish. I keep my unmounted stamps in CD cases, and the adhesive is enough to keep them in place in the cases as well.
