Stamping Without Ink! {Stamp School}

Hi friends! Sometimes our crafting plans change mid project. When I began this stamping session I had planned to make a bunch of Project Life type cards so I could quickly scrapbook my vacation when I got back but the creative muse had other plans….

Sometimes you just have to go with the flow, and that is just what I did.  Watch the video to see how fun it is to stamp with water-soluble crayons/pastels and markers and how to salvage supplies you pre-cut for one project to make them work with another.

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Supplies:

• Stamps: Japanese Marine #2
• Media: water-soluble oil pastels (or crayons) Waterbased markers
• White and cream cardstock
• Patterned paper (Tim Coffee Travel Specialty paper pack from K&Co)
• Scissors
• Spray bottle with water
• Waterbrush or small brush and water

Directions:
1. Spritz stamp with water and color the rubber with water-soluble crayons or markers. Stamp on white cardstock and spread areas of ink with a wet brush. Cut images out.

2. Trim patterned paper and stamp on the paper if you want, you can also flick and spatter any paint on the paper if you like.

3. Assemble paper and stamped images on card base. Stamp accent on envelopes if desired.

I love how this card (like many other of my cards and scrapbook pages) uses paper as an embellishment. I love finding scrapbook paper that has lots of elements than can be cut apart and used to decorate. It keeps postage cost down, it is easy to store and if you can find papers that are from the same line they all coordinate so it can take some of the guesswork out. So, the next time you find a project going awry, don’t fret, just go with it and see what happens! Happy crafting!

Stamp School! Playing with Punches & Prima Water Soluble Oil Pastels!

Howdy friends! Today we are going to talk about the power of a paper punch! These are workhorses of any stampers studio and if you buy wisely you can end up with a ton of looks from just a few versatile punches.

I have to admit, I don’t have a ton of punches and the ones I use the most are basic: Circles, scalloped circles, flowers, tags and generic design elements like this mosaic punch (that I just got in the mail today and I think will b a new favorite-prepare to be sick of me using this LOL!) and labels.

Watch this video to learn more about punches and see how I made this card in real-time!

Supplies:

• Stamp set: Choose Happiness (Stampin Up)
• Color medium Prima water-soluble Oil Pastels(affiliate link)
• Mosaic Madness Punch
• Watercolor card or heavy cardstock card base
• Washi Tape and pattern paper scraps

Reasons why punches are handy:

1. All in one tool, no die cut machine to fuss with.
2. Quick, cute shape, no cutting!
3. Versatile: Google “punch art” to see really creative ideas of embellishments you can make with basic shapes, you will animals, Sesame Street characters, minions and more made from basic shape punches!
4. You can make use of small scraps of paper that otherwise might be thrown away.
5. Portability: It is easier to grab a few punches to take to a crop instead of a machine and dies.

Punch Tips!

1. Choose basic designs to start, a circle or oval will be more useful than a balloon shape BUT you can easily make a balloon from a circle or oval!
2. The more detailed the design (like a lacy corner) the more limited you will be with materials it will cut. Die cuts are generally better for really intricate designs.
3. If a punch sticks you can put it in the freezer and it will usually pop back. You can clean and sharpen punches by punching through aluminum foil and use WD40 or another light oil to lubricate them if they stick, just punch through scrap paper until no grease remains.
4. Make sure to buy the designs you will use the most from a quality brand but it is OK to get the $1 novelty ones you are only likely to use a few times too. 🙂

I hope you enjoyed this project and if you have punches you give it a try! You can always trace stencils or use die cuts to get the look that I have here. The most important thing is to use what you have! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!