Paper Tuesday: Stamping tricks

Stamping can be a bit tricky, especially if your using the traditional stamps instead of the clear acrylic stamps.So, today I will be sharing my own tips from personal experience and tips from around the web.

Stand while stamping

If your standing up over what you are stamping you will be able to center the image where you want it better than if you were sitting.

Test out your ink

Take a scrap of the paper you intend to stamp on and test the ink you'll be using. How does the color of ink look against your paper? Does the ink bleed through? Will the ink dry on that paper? I've discovered that some ink's just don't work well with certain papers, so test it out.

Practice makes perfect

Practice your stamping if your not using acrylic blocks. If your having to center an image on a paper, it helps to make a few tries so that the next time you do it for real and not for practice, you'll be able to eye-ball it perfectly of where it should go. Also remember to apply even pressure, and to lift the stamp straight up.

Practice loading your stamp. Sometimes I get a little over zealous when loading my stamp with ink and instead of a nice clear image I get this blob. And sometimes I don't load my ink enough and the image is incomplete on the page. Figure out how much pressure to use when loading your stamp, after a few times you'll automatically know how much pressure to apply to get the right amount of ink.

Now that I've shared some of my own tips, it's time to take a look from around the web.

Stampin' is great. It has tons of tips for every technique out there. If there is something specific you want to learn about stamping, this would be a great go-to website.

I could use of one these...

Club Creating Keepsakes is another great site with ideas and stamping tips, including how to protect and clean your stamps. They even have a glossary for the different types of inks!

Following these tip will take you on your way to being a better stamper.