Articles : Tutorials - Stamping

Stamping Tips and Techniques for Scrapbookers

Rubber stamping and scrapbooking are wonderful complementary paper crafts. Stamping provides a convenient and affordable way to accent many different types of scrapbooking projects.

Getting Started

Before you can begin experimenting with stamping techniques in your scrapbook, you’ll need to purchase some stamps. Here are a few suggestions to consider:

Alphabet stamps work well for adding titles, names, dates, and small bits of journaling to your scrapbooking projects.
Flourishes and simple geometric shapes like stars or hearts make great embellishments for layouts of everyday moments.
Large frame stamps offer an easy way to draw attention to a special photo within your layout.

While wood mounted rubber stamps are what most people associate with the craft of rubber stamping, clear acrylic stamps offer many advantages for scrapbookers. With clear acrylic stamps, you don’t have to guess whether or not you’ve positioned the image correctly since you can see right through the stamp and the reusable mounting block. Clear acrylic stamps are also easy to store with your other scrapbooking supplies because there is no separate mounting block for each stamp within a set.

Basic Direct to Paper Stamping

The steps for basic direct to paper stamping in your scrapbook are as follows:

Coat your stamp with ink. If you’re using a larger stamp, it is often easier to tap the ink pad directly onto the stamp instead of bringing the stamp to the pad itself.
Press your stamp firmly onto the paper. Do not rock or twist the stamp.
Lift the stamp up straight off the paper.
Allow the ink to dry completely before adding the completed layout into your scrapbook album.
Clean the ink off your stamp using baby wipes or a rubber stamp cleaner.

Since it can take some time to learn how to ink and position stamps correctly, you may want to practice on leftover bits of paper before trying to stamp directly onto your scrapbooking layout.

Stamping with Ink Pads

Stamping with inks is an easy way to create many customized effects on your scrapbooking projects. Color Box Cat's Eye ink pads are easy and fun to use; their small size makes it easy to dab on different colored inks to different parts of your stamp. Inque Boutique's Stamp Caddy comes complete with 30 of your favorite colors of Inque Boutique's permanent archival quality dye inks. Tim Holz's Distressed Ink Pads produce a realistic, weathered look on your stamping and paper crafting projects.

Stamping with Paints

Using paints with your stamps allows for even more possibilities with your stamping hobby. Making Memories has a wonderful line of Scrapbook Color Paints to use on your stamps and paper crafts. These paints are quick drying, non-blocking and will not wrinkle papers.

Embossing

Embossing is a technique that is used to add a raised look to your stamped image. Simply stamp your image using pigment ink, coat the image with embossing powder, and roll your paper up like a funnel to pour the excess embossing powder back into the jar. When you use a heat gun to melt the powder, the image will appear shiny and slightly raised. However, you’ll need to be careful that you don’t accidentally scorch your paper by getting the heat gun too close to the image.