Clear Stamp Basics.

Happy Monday! I'm on vacation right now out of state, but I decided to dedicate this week to clear stamps. When I was a new scrapbooker, I could not figure out why anyone would want to use these things. I'd stand in the aisle at the craft store and think to myself "how are these cheaper when you have to buy those expensive blocks for each stamp?" Hey, I wasn't that smart about stamps back then, don't laugh!

     You might be thinking "okay Heather, how do I use these suckers? Read on, dear reader! I recently got some new stamps, so I'll first show you how to season your stamps. The purpose of seasoning is to get any "factory residue" off the stamping surface so that when you're ready to do your project, you'll get clearer, crisper images. The stamp set I'll be seasoning today is My Acrylix® Avonlea Workshop Stamp Set (C-size)  from the Avonlea workshop on the go scrapbooking  kit. F

     First, you'll need a clear acrylic block. I'll be using the CTMH 3" × 3" My Acrylix^® Block (Y1006) . Grab some scrap paper and the ink of your choice. It doesn't matter what color. Whatever you have handy is fine, although pigment (chalk) inks may have a greater chance of staining your stamps. It won't hurt them, just make them stain. I learned this the hard way when I was using "chalk" on all my clear stamps. Black is especially troublesome. Eep! The stamps still work great, I just have a few that aren't so clear. I've been told that you can use pure acetone on them, but sparingly, rarely and I don't have any on hand so a few of my stamps remain stained.

1: CAREFULLY remove your clear stamp from it's carrier sheet. Place it FLAT side down on your clear block.

2: If you're using a Ctmh stamp, remove the little foam sheet from the packet and put it UNDER the paper you're stamping on. If you're using a different kind of stamp, place something under the stamping surface that will give you a bit of give. Sometimes even a magazine will do this. It helps you get crisper images.
3. Grab your ink. I'm using CTMH grey flannel here.
4: Ink your stamp by lightly tapping the stamp on the inkpad twice and then doing a small twisting motion twice. Repeat. The result will be "tap tap twist twist tap tap twist twist". You do not have to press hard, just make sure you're getting full coverage. Examine the stamp and make sure ink is on all parts of the image. Some ink is light, so to see whether or not you have coverage, look THOUGH the block.

4: With even, firm pressure, press your stamp to your scrap paper. Make sure to press down on all parts of the image. DO NOT MOVE OR ROCK THE STAMP while pressing down. This can distort your image.

5: Lift the stamp off the paper and immediately (without re-inking it), stamp again and again until no ink is left on your stamp
6. Clean your stamp. The method I use is to use the ctmh spritz cleaner with the ctmh stamp scrubber. It's worked well for me for over a year although I have the old version of the scrubber. CTMH has come out with a new version that I've heard rave reviews from other consultants about.
7: return your stamp to it's carrier sheet
8: all done!

Be sure to season/clean all your new stamps before using for best results. Happy crafting!