Artistic Rubber Stamps

Rubber Stamps: any type of rubber stamp. A gorgeous rare botanical, a foam alphabet set or even a homemade stamp made from a pink eraser.

Ink: basic ink colours like black, blue and red are available in most stores that carry office supplies. Other colors, hues and blends are available in big box or craft supply stores that have a stamping section.

Heavy Paper or Card Stock: certainly you could stamp on just about any surface, however acid free card stock is my preferred choice. It's more durable and adds quality to your project. Card stock is available in different colours, shades and textures.

Scissors: regular scissors are just fine.

Ink, pastels, markers, felt tip pens, chalk, pencil crayons, watercolour pencils, watercolours. Embellishments such as stickers made of gel or metallics, velvet, puffy, opague, transparent or scratch n' sniff. Ribbons, lace, fur, feathers, felt, taffeta, beads, brads, buttons, staples, paper clips, eyelets, dried flowers, rivets, papers, card stock, vellum, tissue, handmade papers or embossing powders, embossing ink, heat gun, fancy edged scissors, paper crimpers, cutters, slicers, rulers, bone folders, tweezers, envelopes, baggies and more....

Rubber stamps come in many shapes and forms. Most have some sort of a mounting system either wood, acrylic, foam or thick foam with thin wood. Many rubber stamp images are either permanently attached to the mount or they have a 'peel and stick' version, some have no mounts at all. The actual rubber stamp itself also comes in many forms, from traditional pink rubber (also available in green, purple, blue, beige or grey), acrylic or handcarved from a plain pink eraser.

The one thing they all have in common is they need to be cared for properly to ensure a lifetime of use. Stamps are not designed to be tossed away after use, with a little wipe, sometimes alot of wipes, you can keep the image clean and crisp and ready for use.

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Cleaning Supplies: dish soap, baby wipes, Goo% Off!* or Ink Remover/Cleaner, hand sanitizer, q-tips, paper towel, toothbrush.

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-- Baby wipes work great on most inks and stamp surfaces, if you use them right away. They will not remove ink from raw wood, nothing will (except sandpaper).

-- Goo% Off! can remove old ink on stamps and revive to almost new condition.* Q-tips work well to get into those nooks and crannies then give them a good wipe with a paper towel.

*Goo% Off! is great for taking off ink but sometimes it can also take off the rubber itself. Dissolve it actually! It's quite a strong product, do not let kids use it, touch it, drink it etc. Personally I use it all the time with bare hands and have never had a problem. It does stink and the ink stains my fingernails and skin (nothing new to a stamper). All I can say is just be careful! I have hundreds of stamps that I have cleaned with this product and I have only melted four or five. Do not try it with acrylic stamps as they dissolve!! If you are scared, try a test patch (not on the design). USE THIS PRODUCT AT YOUR OWN RISK, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING!

-- Hand sanitizer works well on some inks with a q-tip and/or papertowel.

-- Soap and water works best on all foam stamps and may not remove ink. If you use foamies or chunky foamies with paints, then dish soap should work fine. I wouldn't recommend this with wood mount stamps.